PARTS BUSINESS; TAXES
The facility in Morton, according to the company’s website, is responsible for receiving and shipping replacement parts to parts facilities and Caterpillar dealers worldwide.
Caterpillar reported sales fell 18 percent in 2016 to $38.5 billion and since late 2015 it has shrunk its workforce by more than 16,000 employees and consolidated or closed 30 facilities. Caterpillar cut 12,300 jobs in 2016, including 7,700 in the United States.
It said it was considering closing two more major production facilities, including one in Aurora, Illinois, and also announced it was moving its corporate headquarters from Peoria to Chicago this year.
Last week in Missouri, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence toured Fabick CAT, a family-owned company that is one of the largest U.S. distributors of Caterpillar equipment. “You are the strength in the American economy, and you’re going to lead an American comeback,” he told workers there.
Pence said the Trump administration wants to simplify the U.S. tax code. “I’ll guarantee there isn’t anyone here who can make sense of America’s tax code, including me. There’s an old joke that says the tax code is about 10 times the size of the Bible but with none of the good news,” he said.
