First 950H2 MWL Rolls Off Caterpillar Suzhou Facility Line

The first Cat^® 950H2 medium wheel loader (MWL) rolled off the production line of Caterpillar Suzhou facility (SCL) on August 7, 2012, marking a successful end to the 950H2 NPI project, which launched in 2010. The goal of the project was to align customer requirements with specific machine design and make it more cost competitive. The Caterpillar SCL facility now produces five models of medium wheel loaders.

With support from US counterparts, the design team in China Research & Development Center (CRDC) Wuxi and the Caterpillar SCL team worked together to overcome a series of challenges while still ramping up its production volume. They produced five pilot machines last December on-time, four of which were sent to customers in China and one in the Middle East.

"The successful 950H2 MWL production fortifies Caterpillar SCL's reputation of being a world-class facility, which consistently carries out Caterpillar quality to our customers", commented General Manager Dan Herkelman, when he joined employees in celebrating the first 950H2 on the fabrications line.

Caterpillar SCL also celebrated another significant milestone early in August. The 5,000th medium wheel loader rolled off the production line on August 8.

The pilot builds of MWL in Caterpillar SCL date back to June 2009, and production began in late 2009. The 1,000th MWL milestone was achieved in January 2011 and with steady ramp-up, Caterpillar SCL folks celebrated the 2,000th MWL in September 2011.

"We are proud to achieve these milestones as a team along our journey and look forward to more milestones as we continue to deliver Caterpillar quality to our global customers", said Herkelman.

Congratulations to the whole team and those who contributed to these milestones!