On January 10, US-based construction and mining equipment giant Caterpillar Inc. announced that it plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Thailand.
According to a Caterpillar statement, the industrial giant will break ground on the new factory in early 2011, with production scheduled to begin in late 2012. The facility will produce a full range of underground mining articulated trucks and loaders, which are used by Caterpillar customers around the world in hard-rock underground mining applications.
The 60,000 square meter factory will be located at Hemaraj Rayong Industrial Land in the province of Rayong. The new facility will increase the current production of underground mining products produced by Caterpillar in Australia and Brazil to respond to the growth in demand. Once the facility in Thailand is fully operational and at full capacity, it is expected to employ about 800 people.
"We continue to make strategic investments in our mining business to support our customers," said Chris Curfman, president of Caterpillar Global Mining and a Caterpillar Inc. vice president. "We are pleased to announce our first manufacturing facility in Thailand, which will increase our capacity for our existing range of underground mining machinery, particularly as we sharpen our focus on meeting long-term customer demand in growth markets." Caterpillar is also to open new a parts distribution center in Dubai.