Caterpillar invests in Larne manufacturing site

US company is to expand its Northern Ireland truck parts operation following a successful preliminary production period

Caterpillar is to invest £5.4 million to expand its Northern Ireland truck parts manufacturing operation in Larne, Co Antrim.

The decision to permanently source axles from the factory, which will help maintain 100 jobs, follows a preliminary production period that has been under way for a number of months.

The announcement comes 18-months after Caterpillar's FG Wilson business made 700 redundancies across Northern Ireland after production of one of its generators was transferred to China. The US company also has a facility in Belfast.

Robert Kennedy, Northern Ireland operations director, said: "This important announcement primarily recognises the high standard of the facilities, processes, skills and expertise in Northern Ireland.

"It is also a testament to the cost competitiveness of manufacturing in Northern Ireland and advantages the local facilities have in terms of proximity to customers, access to ports and other transportation infrastructure."

East Antrim MLA Alastair Ross added: “The decision is testament to the quality and expertise located in the plant, and proof that production plants in Northern Ireland can help the company remain globally competitive.

“Local representatives remain willing to work with the company and Invest NI to attract more production lines to Larne and hopefully the two plants located in East Antrim can benefit from an upturn in the economy."