Caterpillar Inc. this week announced that John Heller, 57, will retire following more than 38 years of service to the company. Heller has been a Caterpillar vice president since 2004, and is currently chief information officer and vice president with responsibility for the Global Information Services Division. Heller’s retirement will be effective Feb. 1, 2012. A replacement for Heller will be named prior to the end of 2011.

“Under the committed and passionate leadership of John, the role of information technology at Caterpillar has been elevated to one that applies information to how business decisions are made, rather than how information is moved around computer systems,” said Ed Rapp, Caterpillar chief financial officer and group president with responsibility for corporate services. “John is a great example of the company’s focus on building leaders with ‘deep expertise,’ as he has been an information technology professional during a Caterpillar career that has included a wide range of positions with increasing responsibilities in the United States and Europe.”

Heller began his Caterpillar career in 1973, and held a number of IT positions with increasing responsibility at Caterpillar’s Decatur, Ill., facility. In 1990, he was named a systems manager for corporate information services in East Peoria, Ill. In 1993, Heller moved to Geneva, as an information systems manager. In 2001, Heller became a director of the Systems & Processes Division. In 2004, he was named a Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for the Systems & Processes Division.

Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar Inc. is a leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives.