Today Georgia is playing an ever more important role in the plans of this successful worldwide company.

The decisions to locate in Jefferson, LaGrange, Thomasville, Griffin and now Eastanollee were made by individual business units, or divisions, of Caterpillar, which is a highly decentralized company. In some cases proximity to customers was a consideration. In others, the location of a sister facility influenced the site decision. Top-level state support was clearly important; good will and strong references grew out of each successive decision.

But most important, the Caterpillar sites in Georgia represent outstanding economic development performance on the part of statewide organizations and five local business communities. Each time, Georgia had to prove itself the best choice for Caterpillar.

Following are stories of the Caterpillar facilities in Georgia and how they came into being.

The first Georgia site of a Caterpillar plant was in Jefferson, which was chosen out of an original pool of more than 1,500 sites nationwide. The facility is part of Caterpillar's Fuel Systems Division.

"From the beginning of our search, we were looking for a sense of partnership, for energetic, aggressive business people," says Dave Schappaugh, human resources manager at the Fuel Systems Headquarters in Pontiac, Illinois. "Although we were impressed with Quick Start at the top level, we didn't know the whole Quick Start organization as well as we do now. Up until the final selection, the selection team was very sensitive about our overall training needs."

Chris Hall at site of first test pass for fuel injectors at Caterpillar Jefferson

Schappaugh remembers a time when the Caterpillar team was about to depart from one of its final site selection trips to Georgia. "We got a call at the Atlanta airport from then Georgia Gov. Zell Miller, who assured us that whatever our training requirements, Quick Start could deliver."

The Fuel Systems' selection of Georgia continues to be validated. Jefferson management describes its workforce as creative, energetic and hard working. The company credits Quick Start and Lanier Technical Institute for getting the workforce off to a strong start.

Quick Start staff began working with Fuel Systems more than four years ago. An expanded training plan was put in place in 1998. And the company is still running new employees through an updated version of a Quick Start designed basic training module. Quick Start consults quarterly with Jefferson’s management to assure that training plans and materials remain on target. Bottom line, training is highly efficient.

Bo Snyder (l) and Bunnie Evans set the equipment for drilling holes
in injector components at Caterpillar Jefferson

Dave Schappaugh Caterpillar’s Fuel Systems Division Pontiac, Ill. Lanier Tech has provided the plant with much-needed classroom space and lab facilities. "We run a lean operation over here," says facility manager Bill Boswell. "We don't have training instructors on location. Without Lanier, we would have to bring in trainers from elsewhere."

Through Lanier Tech, Caterpillar provides ongoing training for its employees. The company also promotes continuing education.

To attract a steady stream of skilled new employees coming into the company, the plant also does outreach through Jackson County High School. Tours of the plant and information-sharing encourage students to stay in Jefferson and strive for the skills that will make them attractive to Caterpillar in the near future.

The Wheel Loader and Excavator Division of Caterpillar chose the Southeast primarily to be close to its customer base: the forest products industry. Still, Georgia had to compete successfully against surrounding states to win the LaGrange facility.

"Quick Start came to us through the local development authority," says Judy Spencer, human resources manager at Caterpillar LaGrange. 'When the local development authority said we would receive some training assistance, we didn't know what that would mean to us. Now we do. Quick Start has been a true partner.

"From the start, we were impressed with Quick Start's quick grasp of our needs. The initial training program that the group designed is very close to what Caterpillar would have put together in-house," Spencer says.

Maurice Rossen checks data using Top Shop at Caterpillar LaGrange

According to Spencer, Quick Start also saved the company money in two ways. First because of a knowledge investment — the work done in LaGrange is new to the company and was previously performed by a contract manufacturer Second, Quick Start provided instructors.

The customized training that the Quick Start team and West Georgia Technical Institute have delivered for LaGrange is right on target, according to Spencer

"All employees here need computer skills and technical knowledge," she says. "Without it they would be lost. Even our time-reporting system is computerized. What Quick Start does is totally applicable to our needs."

When Caterpillar's engine products division was considering new sites for a facility to develop, design, test and ship, Tim Daugherty was part of the selection team. Daugherty, now facilities manager for Caterpillar in Griffin, says that the development team for Georgia and Spalding County had a strong, positive attitude. He was impressed with the Griffin community and its potential for future growth. Later he learned about Georgia Quick Start.

"About two months after we had signed an agreement to move to Griffin," Daugherty says, "we were still putting together our objectives and plans for training. A three-member team from Quick Start came to the plant in Lafayette (Illinois). Within three days they could describe our process very accurately. These folks were extremely proactive. They helped us understand our own process and how it could be made even better."

Sonya Stinson makes a radiator adjustment prior
to equipment assembly at Caterpillar Griffin

"Overall, we were sold on Griffin's location and community spirit, which would allow us to create a positive customer perception," Daugherty says. "That's where the decision rested. At the time I did not realize the added value that Georgia's Quick Start represented. But I do now. I don't know what we would have done without them."

Caterpillar currently operates out of a startup facility, while its permanent plant is nearing completion 300 yards away. When construction is complete in early 200O, the building will house production of well-servicing and electric power generation equipment.

Administrative functions and production of control units will remain at the startup facility.

Since mid-summer, Quick Start has conducted a broad-based training program for the electromechanical assemblers who will staff the permanent plant.

"We have already seen measurable results from the Quick Start training," Daugherty reports. "A Quick Start-trained employee team was assigned to build switch units. Between the first and second unit, the team cut its time by more than 30 percent. With future unit construction, I expect to see even more time trimmed off."

As the business grows over the next three to five years, employment is expected to grow to more than 300. Training needs will be ongoing.

The Thomasville Plant, like Jefferson, is part of Caterpillar's fuel systems group. Major customers are the Jefferson facility, the group's Pontiac, Illinois, headquarters and Morton Parts Distribution.

The plant remanufactures (machines), assembles and tests two models of fuel injectors. It also manufactures and tests some component parts for other fuel system devices.
Machinist Barbara Smith works on fuel injector components at Caterpillar Thomasville.

Like that of its sister plant in Jefferson, the manufacturing environment at Caterpillar Thomasville is high volume with slim margins for error tolerance. The Thomasville plant also applies a state-of-the-art quenching technology. The technology uses helium gas for cooling newly manufactured parts and requires a high level of cleanliness throughout the plant.

Even with the state-of-the-art technical expectations at the plant, Caterpillar is confident that the skills of its local workforce measure up.

"We don't hire for pre-existing technical knowledge," says Ross Wear, facilities manager in Thomasville. "But rather for behavioral attributes that will allow employees to succeed in our type of environment. Once our screening is done, Quick Start's training is critical to getting new hires up to speed quickly."

Prior to having a permanent home, the plant's first employees and trainees worked with Quick Start in the Walton Center, a satellite campus of Thomas Technical Institute. The center is little more than a stone's throw from the Caterpillar plant's back door.

Sue Drew inspects a component in the technology lab at Caterpillar Thomasville

"From the governor on down, we have had the right kinds of state support," Wear says. "We are impressed with the programs the state has put together for us. Quick Start is phenomenal in and of itself. And its work integrates so well with Thomas Technical Institute."

Wear salutes the Thomasville community for its progressive attitude toward technology development. "It was the overall business climate and the incentives that brought us to Thomasville," he says. "But beyond that, it was how fast everyone responded to our needs. That level of service has not stopped.

"The Quick Start staff has done the lion's share of the training coordination," he adds. "And coordination is a difficult task, because we keep adjusting our business strategy, which changes our training needs. Quick Start always manages to accommodate us."

The latest Caterpillar facility in Georgia is the just announced location in Eastanollee (near Toccoa) to produce metal-to-metal seal rings. Part of Caterpillar's Performance Engine Products division, the new plant will send its completed seal rings to Caterpillar's facility in Franklin, NC, for further machining. Production is expected to begin in early 2001.