Carter Machinery Excited to Partner with Weiler on Purpose-Built Forestry Products
Salem, Virginia – As previously announced, Caterpillar Inc. has now entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Cat® purpose-built forestry business to Weiler, Inc. Carter Machinery Company will work closely with Weiler and Caterpillar to ensure a smooth transition for our customers.
Drew Parker, Carter Machinery Company CEO, commented, “We are excited about the partnership with Weiler that this sale creates. We already have a strong relationship with the Weiler team and are looking forward to continue working together as we take the next step in the Cat forestry product legacy.”
With this agreement, Weiler will acquire Caterillar’s purpose-built forestry product line consisting of wheel skidders, track feller bunchers, wheel feller bunchers, and knuckleboom loaders, as well as the operations facilitie based out of LaGrange, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, and Smithfield, North Carolina. It is anticipated that approximately 270 employees currently supporting the purpose-built forestry business will retain employment with Weiler.
Caterpillar will continue to provide forestry excavators designed for log loading, process, and other forestry applications, in addition to supplying core Caterpillar equipment to the forestry industry. Carter Machinery will remain commited to the forestry industry and our customers by continuing to support sales, parts, and service for the complete forestry portfolio.
Founded in 2000, Weiler currently produces an extensive line of products and has a long-standing history of successfully manufacturing purpose-built equipment distributed through the Cat dealer network. to learn more about Weiler Forestry, please visit www.weilerforestry.com.
“We have a strong commitment to customer success and a proven track record of working with Cat dealers all over the world,” commented Pat Weiler, owner and founder of Weiler, Inc. “We are an engineering-led company that focuses on reacting quickly to customer needs. Our company structure allows us to make decisions quickly and execute efficiently. We are confident that our existing product line experience, our flexible design and manufacturing strategy, and our dedication to customers provide a strong foundation to successfully serve the purpose-built forestry segment.”
Drew Parker went on to say, “We remain highly committed to our Forestry customer base as well as their long term success. We want them to know that they can continue to count on us to support the Cat machines that we have sold over the years as well as those that we will sell in the future. In fact, we believe this partnership with Weiler will give us the speed to market and quality to serve them even better in the long term and going forward.”
The closing of this sale is expected to be finalized by end of 2019. Carter Machinery customers remain our top priority. In this transition period, we will continue working with Caterpillar and Weiler Forestry to best support our customers in ensuring product availabiltiy and support services.
If you have any questions about this announcement, please visit www.cartermachinery.com/weiler, or contact your Carter Machinery Sales Representative.