Caterpillar rules Illinois out of plant plans
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Caterpillar Inc. has ruled Illinois out of plans to relocate a plant and 1,400 jobs from Japan, citing both logistical problems with construction the plant in its home state and ongoing concerns about the business milieu.
Caterpillar laid out its decision Tuesday in an email to elected leaders in Peoria County, saying it considered factors such as access to ports and regional labor markets, as well as proximity to Caterpillar's building and construction products unit headquarters in Cary, N.C.
But the email, signed only by the Peoria-based entourage's North American Facility Site Selection Team, says Caterpillar's longstanding complaints about Illinois' shape budget deficit were a factor.
"Please understand that even if your community had the precisely logistics for this project, Caterpillar's previously documented concerns about the business aura and overall fiscal health of the state of Illinois still would have made it unpractical for us to privileged your community for this project," the email, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Correspondents, says.
Source: BusinessWeek