Caterpillar‘s Building Construction Products division, headquartered in Cary, N.C., launched a variety of new equipment and unveiled its 18-month-old facility in Athens, Ga., to the media April 7-9.
The Athens plant is the new production site for mini hydraulic excavators from the 303.5 to the 308E2 and small track-type tractors.
Cat received board approval to move production of these machines from Sagami, Japan, to North America in 2011 due to a market shift in demand for these products in North America, high logistics costs to transport machines from overseas and challenges with the yen to dollar conversion. Two years later, it began production in Athens, Ga.
The company selected the Athens location for a host of reasons, said Operations Manager Todd Henry. These include its proximity to the port of Savannah, Ga., workforce access and a local supply base. More than 70 percent of the overall materials for the machines made in Athens are sourced from North America, Henry said.
Finally, Georgia is a good state to do business in, he said, pointing to the state’s Quick Start workforce development program, which Cat uses along with training resources at Athens Technical College. Most employees go through four to five weeks of training there before beginning work at Cat. The plant, which is a nonunion workplace, employs about 1,100 workers and will grow to about 1,400 employees once fully ramped up.
The 850,000-square-foot facility is located on a 250-acre campus, which provides the opportunity for future expansion. Plant capabilities include in-house design, fabrication, paint, assembly and distribution.
Product launch
The reason Caterpillar has so many new product announcements is Tier 4 Final emissions requirements, set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but many machines received further updates.
Equipment launched pertinent to the landscape market included the D Series small chassis skid-steer loaders (SSL) and compact track loaders(CTL); the D2 Series skid-steer, compact track and multiterrain loaders; and the F2 series backhoe loaders.
The four new D Series small chassis models include SSL models 226D and 232D and CTL models 239D and 249D. All these machines incorporate features from the larger D Series machines, including a sealed/pressurized cab, electro-hydraulic controls, redesigned lift arms, premium seat choices and optional advanced display (available with rear-view camera). All use an electronic Cat C2.2 engine that meets Tier 4-Final/Stage IIIB emissions standards.
The 239D and 249D have operating weights of less than 8,000 pounds, allowing transport without a commercial driver’s license.
The radial-lift 226D and vertical-lift 232D have standard rated operating capacities (ROC) of 1,550 and 1,850 pounds, respectively, increasing to 1,650 and 1,950 pounds with the optional counterweight. The radial-lift 239D and vertical-lift 249D have standard ROCs of 2,050 and 2,300 pounds, which the optional counterweight increases to 2,250 and 2,500 pounds.
The new 272D2 SSL, 297D2 multiterrain loader, and 299D2 CTL, all of which come in XHP versions, feature Cat’s advanced display and a new engine-compartment sealing system for airflow debris control. Non-XHP models have increases in ROC and XHP models maintain their ROC numbers without external counterweights. All models have a vertical-lift loader linkage and use a Cat C3.8 engine meeting U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final/EU Stage IV emissions standards. The engine uses a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system for control of nitrogen-oxide emissions to meet emissions standards. The SCR system requires no maintenance other than periodic addition of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).
The new F2 Series Cat backhoe loaders includes the 416F2, 420F2, 430F2 and, a model new to the range, the 415F2.
The 415F2 uses a Cat C3.4B engine, rated at 68 net horsepower; and the 416F2, 420F2 and 430F2 use the Cat C4.4 ACERT engine, with net-horsepower ratings of 87, 93 and 108, respectively. As an entry-level model, the 415F2 does not require DEF.
Other machines Cat presented were the K2 small track-type tractors, M Series small wheel loaders and M Series compact wheel loaders.
Photos: Caterpillar
