Caterpillar announced this week it will begin production of Cat 773E off-highway trucks at its manufacturing plant in Tosno, Leningrad Oblast, Russia, in response to growing demand for its mining and quarry products.

Since 2000, Caterpillar has operated a fully owned production facility in Tosno, which is part of the company’s long-term strategic initiative to increase its presence in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Caterpillar currently employs more than 400 people at the Tosno plant, producing excavators and components. The company expects to hire close to 100 additional employees to support the 773E manufacturing operations in the coming months.

“This is a significant investment in the future and demonstrates Caterpillar’s long-term commitment to a growing quarry and mining market in Russia and the CIS,” said Caterpillar group president Steve Wunning. “Producing the 773E in Russia puts us closer to the customer and has the company well-positioned to meet increased demand for Caterpillar mining and quarry products.”

“After extensive study and planning, we are confident that this strategic move to localized manufacturing of the 773E in the CIS will allow us to better serve our customers, and be able to compete and win in a market that we believe has great potential,” said Caterpillar’s CIS country manager Mumim Azamkhuzhaev.

Caterpillar said it is ready to start truck production immediately with the first shipments to be made from Tosno by the end of the year.