Caterpillar to invest £7m, create 100 jobs

Caterpillar-PhotooNorthern Ireland manufacturing giant, Caterpillar has said that it is planning to invest around £7 million, a move that is expected to create about 100 new jobs in the region.

Caterpillar, which had acquired FG Wilson in 1999, had cut 700 jobs as it was moving some manufacturing to China in September 2012. The company was set to create 200 jobs in Belfast to support Caterpillar's global operations. The company is now planning to add new production line to make its yellow-coloured Cat machines for which the company is most famous. The machine is used by customers around the world for scrap sorting and handling, and forestry use.

The company produces generators across its plants at Larne, Belfast, Springvale and Monkstown at present. Invest Northern Ireland offered Caterpillar has reportedly offered more than £1 million to secure the project while Department for Employment and Learning had offered £220,000 through its Assured Skills Programme.

Caterpillar had said that the job cuts will be made across all four locations in Northern Ireland.

FG Wilson is one Northern Ireland’s largest manufacturers and it employs 3,000 people. The company had announced 160 job cuts in July and there are fears that it is likely to announce hundreds more till 2014. The company is moving some the production of small diesel generators to China.