Caterpillar Expanding Work Tools Capacity

Caterpillar Inc. has started an expansion of its work tools business in Wamego, KS, and is adding a new 40,000-ft2 building that will bring total manufacturing space there to nearly 250,000 ft2. The cost of the project was not announced, but Caterpillar indicated it is among the $3 billion it will invest in capital programs worldwide this year. Caterpillar’s work tools are a range of heavy-duty fixtures that attach to its construction, mining, excavation, and farming equipment. Examples include augers, backhoes, blades, buckets of various types, forks, grapplers, scarifiers, tillers, trenchers, and many others. "Many of the products we make in Wamego end up being exported all over the world, and this expansion will position our operations in Wamego to grow and meet the expected increase in customer demand as we drive toward Caterpillar's strategy and goals for 2015 and beyond," stated Bill Springer, Caterpillar’s vice president for the work tools business. Caterpillar has been increasing its production capacity aggressively over the past several years, with new plants and expansions underway domestically and around the world. Once the expansion at the Kansas plant is complete, the operation will add about 120 new positions that will bring over 500 people. "The world's population is continuing to grow, and a greater percentage of people are benefiting from a higher standard of living. Caterpillar is making strategic investments today in order to increase production capacity in the coming years to meet demand for our products, which are used by our customers to enable sustainable and positive economic development around the world," according to Caterpillar Resource Industries group president Steve Wunning.