Once again citing a stark drop in demand for mining vehicles, the OEM said the planned shutdown would be completed by the mid-2014 and impact 240 workers.
The underground portion of the production from the Pulaski plant, which includes scoops and coal haulers, will be transferred to its location in Houston, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.
Officials said the decision was made after a strategic review of the facility and it would offer full-time management and support employees severance packages and transitional support.
“We value the contributions our employees have made at the Pulaski facility,” the company said.
“However, these actions are needed to make our underground mining business more efficient and competitive.”
The Virginia idle is the latest in a string of furloughs, cutbacks and closures for Caterpillar – and no specific region has been immune.
In October it said it would close its Kilgore, Texas and Beckley, West Virginia facilities.
The company also made similar moves in Tazewell, Virginia; Sudbury, Ontario; and South Carolina this year.
Additionally, more than 900 workers lost their jobs at Cat’s biggest plants in Decatur, Illinois and South Milwaukee, Wisconsin over the last several months.
In all, the OEM has cut more than 13,000 jobs, or about 10% of its global total, over the last year.
