Caterpillar to build plant in Thailand

Caterpillar Inc. will construct its first manufacturing plant in Thailand to produce trucks and loaders for underground mining. It's the first capital project this year for the construction and off-road equipment builder, which unveiled an extensive series of plant expansions and construction projects during 2010. Caterpillar also last year announced a $7.6-billion takeover of mining equipment manufacturer Bucyrus Corp. No estimate for the new project's capital investment was announced.

The 645,000-square-feet plant will produce Caterpillar's full range of articulated trucks and loaders for hard-rock underground mining applications worldwide. Groundbreaking will take place soon, and the operation in Rayong province will be online by late 2012. It will employ about 800, Caterpillar said.
Caterpillar currently produces underground mining equipment at plants in Australia and Brazil, but is responding to rising global demand for the products.