Caterpillar Continues Aggressive Expansion Plans in China

In support of the company's strategy to grow its business to a leadership position in China, Caterpillar Inc. CAT announced today an expansion of the company's operations in China. Representatives from Caterpillar and the Xitong Technical Industrial Park Administrative Committee signed an Investment Agreement to build a state-of-the-art proving ground and a large wheel loader manufacturing facility in Tongzhou, Jiangsu Province. The Asia Pacific Proving Ground is an expansion of Caterpillar's research and development presence in Asia and will provide validation and product development services for Caterpillar machinery produced in China and the Asia/Pacific region. The large wheel loader manufacturing facility will produce a new model of wheel loader that is being developed at Caterpillar's Wuxi Research and Development (R&D) Center. The new wheel loader will support customer demand in China and other growth markets. "The Asia Pacific Proving Ground will be critical for Caterpillar to develop and validate the right products for growth markets quickly and cost effectively," said Tana Utley, Caterpillar Vice President and Chief Technology Officer with responsibility for the Product Development and Global Technology Division. "After this new proving ground is open, Caterpillar will be better positioned to compete and support its growing customer base in China and across Asia," Utley added.