Caterpillar’s Texas excavator factory opens

US construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar has celebrated the opening of its new, 1.1 million ft² (102193 m²) hydraulic excavator factory in Victoria, Texas, US.

Operating at full capacity, the US$ 200 million facility would triple Caterpillar's current hydraulic excavator production in the US. It is expected to employ about 800 people once it is fully operational.

The company said it had already hired about 225 new employees in Victoria, and planned to continue hiring based on demand for products made in Victoria and as it ramps up production with additional models to be produced at the new facility.

The excavators to be produced in Victoria are now made at a Caterpillar facility in Aurora, Illinois, US, and at a Caterpillar facility in Akashi, Japan. Caterpillar said expanding capacity in the US at the new Victoria location would better position it to serve North American customers with a single, dedicated facility.

Caterpillar added that the factory in Aurora would concentrate on other products while the factory in Akashi would be more focused on serving customers in Asia.

Caterpillar first announced plans for the Victoria excavator factory in 2010, when it was initially designed to be a 600000 ft² (55750 m²) facility. However, in June last year the manufacturer said it would spend another US$ 70 million to extend the factory in light of analysis of where customer demand was moving for excavators in the years ahead.