PEORIA, Ill. (Feb. 23, 2005) — Caterpillar is enhancing field support of its 2,500 authorized service outlets by consolidating on-highway and commercial product operations into an expanded Power Systems North America Department.

Jim McReynolds will lead the expanded on-highway department as well as the international on-highway group headed up by Michael Leyden, international manager, Global On-Highway Engine Department of Caterpillar On-Highway Engines.

The original six geographic regions have been expanded to 11 new district teams as part of the new department, which will cover truck engine fleet sales and all Caterpillar commercial engine product support.

This customer/dealer support organization will be comprised of on-highway marketing and OEM sales, consolidated commercial and on-highway product support marketing, engine warranty administration, merchandising program administration and the truck engine call center. Regional managers include Larry Dicks (Central region), Karl Vandermyde (Eastern region) and Tom Eberlin (Western region).

They will lead district team offices located in Toronto, Ont.; Hartford, Conn.; Dallas, Tex.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Peoria, Ill; Seattle, Wash; Jacksonville, Fla.; Columbus, Ohio; Nashville, Tenn.; and Denver, Colo., as well as a team assigned to the North American lease/rental market.

The company says the move will support its growing business and customer base. Cat says it has an active population of more than 1.2 million Cat engines — including 185,000 equipped with the EPA emission compliant ACERT technology — on the road today.