greater:SATX sat down with Caterpillar’s Senior Vice President of Industrial Power Systems, Steve Ferguson to find out more about this esteemed organization.
Tell us a little bit about Caterpillar and your presence in the Greater San Antonio region.
Caterpillar has been part of this region since 2003 when we opened our machining operation on the northeast side of San Antonio. Soon after, we expanded to include an engine production facility in Seguin and a second machining operation in Schertz. We currently have over 2,200 employees in the greater San Antonio region working in manufacturing, sales and marketing, purchasing, finance and more.
The Greater San Antonio region is an attractive area for a world-class, globally competitive business thanks to easy access to major shipping lanes, a solid workforce with opportunities for higher education and the space needed for large-scale work. In fact, it’s so attractive that we recently announced a $90 million investment in our Schertz and Seguin facilities.
Our machining operations in Schertz and San Antonio produce components used in the engines we build in Seguin and other Caterpillar facilities worldwide. Our assembly facility in Seguin produces 7.2 to 18-liter engines that range from 340 to 850 horsepower. They are sold under the Cat® or Perkins brands to power Cat® machines or products developed by other equipment manufacturers. Our diesel engines are used in many industrial applications, from construction to mining and marine. We also produce Cat-branded generator sets that provide emergency back-up power for hospitals or industrial applications or even power special events where electric grid access is limited. To date, our San Antonio operations have produced around 750,000 engines.
Many people in this region are familiar with the Holt Cat name. Although we are separate companies, we work closely with Holt Cat. Caterpillar produces engines and machines that Holt Cat sells or rents as an authorized Cat dealer. We work with over 150 Cat dealers around the world.
Caterpillar Inc. was founded almost 100 years ago in 1925. How do you see Caterpillar growing in the future and continue positively impacting our greater San Antonio region?
We are committed to helping our customers build a better, more sustainable world. Caterpillar has a long history and is a diverse business with 17 brands in our current brand portfolio. Individually, they create a uniquely differentiated customer experience. All of them, though, represent the quality that comes with the Caterpillar name.
As a leading manufacturer of diesel engines, we produce quality products to meet our customers’ needs now and in the future. In 2023, we announced a new 13-liter engine, which we will build in Seguin. It has already been named OEM Off Highway’s Top Product of the Year. The recently announced $90 million investment ensures our facilities can produce this next-generation diesel engine.
The products we build in the San Antonio region power machines found all over the world. With our engines, we bring a bit of San Antonio to the global stage. But we make sure that we pay special attention to this area where our employees work and live. We want to ensure they have opportunities to grow with us, which is why we have robust training and development plans to support them on that journey.
How would you like to see the San Antonio region continue to grow?
Our focus is growing and developing a high-performing workforce in this region. With the quality of businesses in our area, there is constant competition to hire the best people. We need employees with the right skills and drive to grow with us. We work closely with organizations like greater:SATX to ensure that, as a community, we are building robust talent pipelines to support business in the region and their future needs.
We are excited to continue our work here as the area grows. With growth comes change, and it's essential for our community to be prepared for developments in key areas such as infrastructure, skills development and affordable housing.
Training programs like the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) and Alamo Colleges District’s P-TECH programs help the community deliver top-notch employee training and skills development. The Caterpillar Foundation has recently invested in both programs to develop the workforce of the future that supports industry needs in the greater San Antonio area.
We also partner with organizations like the San Antonio Manufacturers Association to share knowledge with our fellow regional manufacturers, with representatives on the board, leading the education committee and participating in their programs.
Why did you invest in greater:SATX?
greater:SATX is providing a vision for the future of work in our region. We have invested substantially in our facilities, and we will continue to need great employees to run them. The all-encompassing programs leveraged by greater:SATX match Caterpillar’s emphasis on quality, safety and customer focus. Our partnership with greater:SATX is a path toward developing and hiring the essential employees we need.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
While Caterpillar has been in the San Antonio region for many years, we also call other areas of Texas home. Our corporate headquarters recently relocated to Irving, and we have facilities in Victoria, Houston and Denison. Texas is important to our company, and being engaged in our community is important to us.
Our employees are part of this community. We support organizations that make a difference where we live and work. For example, we have representatives serving on the boards of the San Antonio and New Braunfels Food Banks and have hosted a mega distribution event at our Seguin facility for four years. We also partner with Communities in Schools to provide emergency funding for families in need and support students in the annual Guadalupe County Youth Livestock Show.