Caterpillar, Claas in telehandler deal

11 February 2000



Caterpillar, Claas in telehandler deal

By FWi staff

MACHINERY makers Caterpillar and Claas have reached a tentative agreement for Caterpillar to purchase the intellectual property and manufacturing rights for Claas-designed telehandlers.

Caterpillar would assume responsibility for the Claas factory at Saxham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk later this year, with all teleporter workers there becoming Caterpillar employees.

The telehandlers would continue to be imaged as Claas products and sold in Europe through the Claas distribution network.

At a later date, Caterpillar will produce selected fabrications at its plant at Stockton, Teeside, plant, and assemble small telehandlers for the construction and industrial market at its Leicester facility.

Those machines would be distributed through Caterpillars worldwide dealer network along with larger models of telehandlers currently produced at the Leicester facility.

In 1999 Caterpillar posted sales and revenues of US$19.7 billion (12.3bn), while Claas sales were in excess of DM2bn (627m).