Nickell Rental, a Georgia rental company, attended a special ceremony at a new Georgia Caterpillar plant to purchase the first Cat 305 mini-excavators built in Athens, Ga. The new compact radius Cat E2 Series mini hydraulic excavators—305E2, 305.5E2 and 308E2—will all be produced at Caterpillar’s new 850,000 square foot facility in Athens, Ga., and will also use the new high-definition hydraulic system. The first five units to come off the production line will be special edition 305E2 units.
The new Cat facility is expected to employ 1,400 workers in Georgia, and suppliers for the plant could create another 2,800 jobs. This facility is a big win for the state of Georgia, which is still recovering from the recent recession and currently has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, said Josh Nickell of Nickell Rentals. This new plant will be a global supplier of small tracked excavators and bulldozers and joins three other Caterpillar plants already located in Georgia.
Josh Nickell, vice president, Nickell Rental, said of the event, “We are honored to be part of this special event. As a locally owned and operated company, we are very excited to be a part of the return of manufacturing to Georgia and support the opportunities it will create for our local economy.”
Nickell Rental is a family owned multi-location equipment rental company. Nickell Rental took possession of their new commemorative mini excavator when it drove off the factory line at a special event held at the plant on Oct. 28. They were joined by their Rental Alliance partner Yancey Caterpillar, the Cat dealer for Georgia, which is celebrating its 100 year anniversary and is the nation’s oldest Cat dealer.
The units were presented by Reid Waitt, general manager, compact construction equipment for Caterpillar; Bill Schaffroth, commercial manager, compact construction equipment; and Trey Googe, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Yancey Caterpillar.
