CAT large excavators produced in China ?

[powercom]

I was just reading earthmovers and an article in there on the new large Cat excavator 50 to 95 ton range said they where made in cat's largest excavator factory in China !!!


Now it would be no surprise that CAT would have a factory in china , but I have to say that I was very surprised that it was making large excavators there , and at that ones for European and USA ? consumption surely the large machines must have the largest profit margin in them, and the Mini, or Midi machines would be the most likely candidates for Chinese production ?
I would also assume in the home market in the USA especially would perhaps have the the largest resistance to a Chineseium product especially in the large excavator category when the good old boys in the states would you assume be not to happy about there "IRON" being made by our Asian friends
plus it must make the CAT salesman's arguments about the ever increasing Chinese brands as being of "low quality" , "poor steel" or whatever other arguments they put forward to support there premium priced product look a little lame.
Has cat sold out completely to far eastern manufacturing , they still have factories here in the UK but if they make there premium product in china for world wide use how long will they continue to make more competitively priced machines in western countries with western costs ?

 

[Shovelhands]

I was just reading earthmovers and an article in there on the new large Cat excavator 50 to 95 ton range said they where made in cat's largest excavator factory in China !!!


Now it would be no surprise that CAT would have a factory in china , but I have to say that I was very surprised that it was making large excavators there , and at that ones for European and USA ? consumption surely the large machines must have the largest profit margin in them, and the Mini, or Midi machines would be the most likely candidates for Chinese production ?
I would also assume in the home market in the USA especially would perhaps have the the largest resistance to a Chineseium product especially in the large excavator category when the good old boys in the states would you assume be not to happy about there "IRON" being made by our Asian friends
plus it must make the CAT salesman's arguments about the ever increasing Chinese brands as being of "low quality" , "poor steel" or whatever other arguments they put forward to support there premium priced product look a little lame.
Has cat sold out completely to far eastern manufacturing , they still have factories here in the UK but if they make there premium product in china for world wide use how long will they continue to make more completely priced machines in western countries with western costs ?

Maybe they have simply decided that one factory, makes whatever product it may be, for the whole world market? As they have done with the backhoe? I was very surprised to find out that every single Cat backhoe sold worldwide was manufactured in the UK! Considering it’s biggest market must be the good old US of A? And the Chinese factory makes the big excavators?

 

[CPS]

The new 308, 309's are made in China

 

[Jimoz]

Maybe they have simply decided that one factory, makes whatever product it may be, for the whole world market? As they have done with the backhoe? I was very surprised to find out that every single Cat backhoe sold worldwide was manufactured in the UK! Considering it’s biggest market must be the good old US of A? And the Chinese factory makes the big excavators?

Pretty sure I drove past their backhoe place last week in Desford. Might be assembly only though tbf

 

[Jimoz]

Sorry read that wrong. Confirms what I thought

 

[Bri963]

Backhoes are Designed and manufactured at Desford. Fabrication is done elsewhere in the UK, engines from Peterborough, transmissions from India. Think you’ll find the big excavators aren’t massive sellers compared to some of the competition, someone somewhere has probably deduced that the growth market is going to be the far east, so they’re producing near to that market.