Caterpillar plant in Athens/Oconee celebrates 10 years

A constant hum and the metallic rhythm of machinery filled the massive interior of the Caterpillar plant in Athens on Wednesday as Andrew Short led a group on a tour of the facility.

Stopping at a workstation on the assembly line where heavy metal parts are connected to excavators, Short noted that new employees are not stationed here.

This workspace where booms, those arm-like pieces on the excavators, are attached to the vehicle is “one of the toughest stations,” explained Short, the company’s Supply Chain Planning Manager.

Other group tours for visitors were made this day that was set aside to celebrate Caterpillar’s 10-year anniversary when it began operation on the 250-acre site that straddles Clarke and Oconee counties near Bogart.

In a pre-tour program, Errol Wint, the Caterpillar Athens Facility Manager, welcomed visitors, elected officials, and the numerous long-time employees, who were wearing their 10-year anniversary shirts.

“The effort and energy it took to put this place into place is truly appreciated,” he said.

Wint noted that in the 10 years Caterpillar has been here, its employees have participated in volunteer programs and in chamber of commerce activities in various counties. And the company has built strong ties to Athens Technical College, the University of Georgia and local high schools, all of which have provided talent to the company’s workforce.

Korey Coon, the company’s vice president and general manager, said the anniversary is “a big milestone.”

Coon was part of a group that selected the location for the plant.

“It wasn’t an easy choice. There was competition. We weren’t just looking at one site to build the facility,” he said, adding, “In the end, we’re here today because we made a great choice.”

Coon noted that Caterpillar’s decision to build here was announced in Atlanta in February 2012. One month later on March 19, 2012, a groundbreaking ceremony and construction began on site. The grand opening occurred on Oct. 31, 2013, and soon the first mini-excavator Model 308 came off the assembly line.

“That was an incredible feat,” Coon said about the speed of the company’s roll into production. In February, the company announced that 100,000 machines had been produced at the plant. A year after opening, the plant also began its production of bulldozers.

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State District 46 Sen. Bill Cowsert delved into a history of the project.

Originally known as the Orkin tract, it was one of the largest undeveloped tracts on the eastern seaboard and ideal for a manufacturing plant, Cowsert said.

But the Orkin family went back and forth on their willingness to sell the property.

“We went around and around literally for over a decade trying to find the right fit,” he said.

The tract is on the county line of both Clarke and Oconee, which also complicated the matter, but Cowsert praised how the former leaders of the two counties, Nancy Denson in Athens and Melvin Davis in Oconee, worked together with state officials to make the deal with Caterpillar work.

Cowsert told Caterpillar officials they took a 250-acre tract and “turned it into an economic engine.”

Numerous 10-year employees attended the celebration.

Workers like Woodrow Harrison of Madison County said he had worked in fencing and construction when he heard about the new plant. People he knew encouraged him to apply.

“Ten years later here I am with no end in sight really. I’ve had promotions in the last 10 years. It’s been a good experience,” he said.

Crystal Rucker of Athens said she was a welder when she was hired.

“Coming into a new facility and getting the training we needed was very exciting,” she said. “We’ve advanced so much with on the job training and leadership training. Now you have a more defined way to build your career.”

D.J. Johnson of Jefferson was employed as a welder fabricator when he heard about Caterpillar and its reputation as a good place to work with good wages and benefits.

“At the time I was living in Gainesville, but I was willing to make that trip to Athens and work for a great company,” he said.

“I still have the same joy I had 10 years ago coming to a great place to work,” Johnson said. “To me, it always seems like it gets better.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Local Caterpillar plant has produced 100,000 vehicles in its 10 years