Right about now, you might be wondering where in the world Caterpillar makes its construction equipment, as well as certain essential tools and accessories. That’s even more likely given the American origins of the Caterpillar brand and the fact that it maintains its global headquarters in Irving, Texas. Fans of the brand might be happy to know that CAT also maintains significant manufacturing operations in the country.
In fact, the company currently claims to operate manufacturing facilities in 15 U.S. states, as well as remanufacturing plants and forward-thinking proving grounds in several others. Per Caterpillar, some are single-source manufacturing locations for major construction equipment, with plants in Decatur and East Peoria, Illinois, producing large mining trucks and large track-type tractors, and large motor graders originating in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Meanwhile, gas turbines are made in San Diego, California, and small track-type tractors are coming out of Athens, Georgia. The company also makes its wares in Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Despite Caterpillar’s efforts to manufacture its wares Stateside, not all of its equipment originates from a U.S. production facility. Many of its products are actually produced in China for import to America and other parts of the globe. And yes, that has been true for about 45 years now, with CAT operating facilities in Suzhou, Wuijiang, Qingzhou, Wuxi, Xuzhou, Tianjin. There, the company purports to make everything from hydraulic excavators, track-type tractors, wheel loaders, and soil compactors, to motor graders, paving products, medium and large diesel engines and generator sets.