Cat starts up skidder plant: first Cat plant dedicated to forestry equipment points to importance of the industry for this supplier [La Grange, Georgia]

Caterpillar Inc. opened its 120,000 sq.ft. rubber tire skidder assembly plant here in La Grange Georgia October 23-24. Georgia Governor Zell Miller was a special guest and speaker at a luncheon reception held on the grounds adjacent the plant. Also, Caterpillar chairman and ceo Donald Fites, group president Glen Barton, vice president and general manager of Wheel Loaders & Excavators Alan Rassi, forest products manager Dan Binz and facility manager Jed Barrow spoke to the gathering of 200 guests, which included community dignitaries as well as officials with Cat dealers from across North America.

"Caterpillar and Georgia are a good match," Governor Miller said, noting that LaGrange is Caterpillar's second facility in Georgia. (Cat manufactures fuel injectors for its engines at Jefferson.)

Vice President Rassi emphasized that the plant is indicative of Caterpillar's commitment to being a leader in the forest products industry. The La Grange Forest Products Facility is Caterpillar's first facility dedicated completely to the manufacture of forest products equipment. Skidder manufacturing is part of Cat's Wheel Loaders & Excavators Div., based in Aurora, IL.

Focus on 515/525

Facility manager Barrow and the plant's 50 employees presented the first three skidders off the assembly line to Anthony Ison of Ison Logging in Lafayette, AL, Mike Oliver of Evergreen Logging in Cuthbert, CA, and J.O. Barber of J.O. Barber Lumber in Luthersville, GA. Each purchased a 525 grapple skidder.

The plant is assembling the 525 and 515 skidders. Cat introduced the 525 in mid-1995 as a replacement for the 518 line, and introduced the 515 in the spring of 1996. The units were previously being assembled by Vermeer Manufacturing of Pella, IA. Forest products manager Binz commented that both models have been redesigned to meet customers' calls for reliability, durability and productivity.

Several Cat officials emphasized that a major reason the company chose La Grange was because of its strategic location in the heart of the Southern timber belt, and that nearly three-quarters of Cat's skidder business in the U.S. is in the southern pine market. The location is also a strategic shipping location, with Atlanta just 100 km to the northeast and Montgomery, AL, 160 km to the southwest.

Following the luncheon, plant officials treated attendants with a tour of the facility. Attendants separated into groups and stopped at several components displays, where plant officials described the components and answered questions. Components are shipped to the plant from several Caterpillar manufacturing facilities.

Caterpillar worked through the Georgia Quick Start Program and used the facilities at West Georgia College for the hiring and orientation process. The state's labour department received 2 500 applications and referred 450 of those applicants to Caterpillar. Employment at the plant is expected to increase.

The first employee of the plant, Human Resources Manager Judy Spencer, described to visitors the "team partners" structure involved in the assembly operation.

Also during the day, at a small demo area adjacent the plant, Caterpillar ran a cut-to-length harvester and forwarder demo using its recently acquired Skogsjan line.

New demo site unveiled

Caterpillar also used the event to announce the creation of its Forest Products Demonstration Area at Opelika, AL, 65 km from the La Grange plant. Attendees visited the demo site on the morning of the second day of the event.

Cat is working with Mead Corp. and Auburn University at the demo area, which includes 80 ha of Mead-owned timber. Auburn's Forest Engineering Dept. will use the site as a laboratory for harvesting and reforestation practices. Caterpillar will be able to bring in dealers and loggers for a hands-on look at Cat products. Cat expects to maintain 10 machines and a staff of four, including two machine operators. The demo area also includes a small transportable building for classroom and training sessions. Harvested timber will go to Mead mills.

Once the site is harvested and replanted, a two-to-three-year process, Caterpillar plans to establish another demo area nearby.

During the visit to the live demo area, Caterpillar operated its 525 and 515 skidders, its new 527 track skidder (manufactured in Dallas, OR -- see next issue for an article on this machine in operation in B.C.), a 322 track buncher, 320B stroke delimber and 322 log loader. Caterpillar also ran its Skogsjan 695 CTL harvester with a 675 harvester head and Skogsjan 1088XLC forwarder, the largest units in the Skogsjan line.