Caterpillar expands Russian manufacturing

Caterpillar is to expand its manufacturing facility in Tosno, Russia, to include production of the 773E rigid hauler.

It said it made the move in response to growing demand for mining and quarry equipment in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Caterpillar's Tosno plant, located in the Tosnensky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, currently manufactures two models of Cat excavators and large fabricated components for construction machines.

In addition to the 400 people that currently work at the plant, a further 100 employees will be hired to support the 773E manufacturing operations.

The 773E has a loaded weight of 99 tonnes. It is powered by a 500 kW Cat engine and is used for moving materials around in mining and quarrying applications.

The company said it was ready to start production of the 773E dump trucks immediately, with the first customer shipments to be made from Tosno by the end of the year.

Caterpillar's CIS country manager Mumin Azamkhuzhaev said, "After extensive study and planning, we are confident that this strategic move to localised manufacturing of the 773E in the CIS will allow us to better serve our customers, and be able to compete and win in a market that we believe has great potential."