Caterpillar moving its headquarters to Texas from Illinois

Associated Press

2 years ago

FILE - In this Thursday, April 22, 2021 file photo, Marie Tibbott sorts product at EIP Manufacturing in Earlville, Iowa. Growth in U.S. manufacturing picked up in May, even as supply chain problems persist and businesses continue to struggle to find workers. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Tuesday, June 1 that its index of manufacturing activity rose in May to a reading of 61.2 from 60.7 in April. (Jessica Reilly/Telegraph Herald via AP, File)

DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Machinery manufacturer Caterpillar said Tuesday it is packing up its headquarters from its longtime home state of Illinois and moving to Texas.

Caterpillar Inc. said that it’s transferring its global base to the Dallas suburb of Irving, from Deerfield, outside Chicago.

The company had been based in Peoria, Illinois, for over 90 years before announcing a move to Deerfield in 2017. At the time, it touted Deerfield as meeting its goal of being more accessible to its global customers, dealers and employees.

Caterpillar already has an office in Irving and has been in the state since the 1960s.

“We believe it’s in the best strategic interest of the company to make this move,” CEO Jim Umpleby said.

Caterpillar said it will begin transitioning its headquarters to Irving this year.

It’s the latest major corporation to ditch the Chicago area after Boeing Co. said last month that it was moving its headquarters to the Washington, D.C., area.

A handful of technology companies have also recently shifted their headquarters from California’s Silicon Valley to Texas. Tesla and Oracle have moved to Austin, while Hewlett Packard Packard Enterprise is now in Spring, Texas, outside Houston.