Caterpillar Logistics boosts Clayton site with millions in additional investments

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Joe Cogliano

Brian Purcell, general manager of the Caterpillar Logistics facility in Clayton, with one of the newer robotic systems. The robots are used to automate repetitive tasks such as building large boxes.

Joe Cogliano

Senior Reporter- Dayton Business Journal

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Caterpillar Logistics in Clayton has been on a growth spurt.

Since my visit last fall, the 1.5 million-square-foot distribution center has seen roughly $6 million in new investments and added more than 100 employees to its ranks.

On Friday, I got the opportunity for a return visit with General Manager Brian Purcell to discuss what's happened in the past year or so.

Caterpillar Logistics, which opened in the fall of 2011, made big headlines because it was such a large economic development project and because it popped up here when not much else was happening. It was also a key part of the foundation of new efforts to lure logistics and distribution projects to the Dayton region.

Related: More logistics projects in the pipeline

Caterpillar Logistics' newest investments include more than $4 million to upgrade paint lines; about $1 million for a new 4,200 -square-foot training center, new break areas and additional parking spots; and about $750,000 for robots used for automation. The company also saw a surge in employment to 725 people (600 employees and 125 temps), up from 600 workers (500 employees and 100 temps) a year ago.

During that time it added an alternate shift to overlap other shifts. The idea, Purcell said, it the new shift is flexible and can be used to handle bottlenecks anywhere in the facility.

"That's worked out very well," Purcell said.

Several robots were added for repetitive, high-volume volume work — mostly to handle making large boxes — and the new training center has allowed the company to ramp-up efforts to better its workforce. (I got to observe some of that training and will have a story posted soon.)