IMAGE SOURCE: (Herald Review)

BYLINE: ANTHONY MARTINEZ

We’ve all heard about jobs leaving the United States. But a company that has benefited vastly from overseas expansion is now bringing some jobs to the U.S.

The company is going to invest $640 million to upgrade facilities in East Peoria and Decatur, Illinois. That investment will create a grand total of … just 300 jobs. But the Wall Street Journal says not to worry.

“Once its fully operational and at capacity, the North American facility will employ more than 1,000 people. The North American facility will become Caterpillar's global source for small track-type tractors and export partially assembled mini excavator base units to a facility in Europe.”

So why the change of scenery? The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit -- or APEC -- held in Hawaii made changes to expand global market competition, especially with Asian/Pacific buyers. The Pantagraph reports this will lead to even more upgrades.

“The announcement also included plans to build a mining truck facility in Indonesia. Caterpillar plans to invest about $150 million in the new facility, which is expected to be operational in 2012 for truck bodies, with the first trucks produced in the third quarter of 2013.”

Operating out of 178 countries, half of all CAT’s employees work outside the U.S. A spokesperson for CAT tells the PJ Star -- it takes a number of business factors before bringing more jobs stateside.

"Cost of labor is one of many factors we consider, but not the only one. We don't chase labor costs around the world…Other factors include logistics, access to major ports, proximity to our supply chain and the overall general business climate."

But a writer for the Chicago Tribune says the company is just looking to expand production for its most successful products.

“Caterpillar has benefited from a need for commodities to serve a growing middle class in developing nations around the world, where materials used in cellular phones and other devices are increasingly being mined from the earth. More than 90 percent of the large trucks produced in Decatur are exported...”