PEORIA, Ill., Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) announced today that John Heller, 57, has elected to retire following more than 38 years of exemplary 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 February 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 (IT) professional during a Caterpillar career that has included a wide range of positions with increasing responsibilities in the United States and Europe," Rapp added.
Heller graduated from Millikin University with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and earned an MBA from the University of Illinois. He began his Caterpillar career in 1973, and held a number of IT positions with increasing responsibility at Caterpillar's Decatur, Illinois facility. In 1990, he was named a Systems Manager for Corporate Information Services in East Peoria, Illinois. In 1993, Heller moved to Geneva, Switzerland 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.
"In addition to his business leadership, John has forged a reputation for treating employees throughout the organization with respect and dignity, and he leaves a legacy of forward-thinking, qualified IT professionals and leaders who will serve Caterpillar well moving forward," Rapp added.
About Caterpillar:
For more than 85 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. With 2010 sales and revenues of $42.588 billion, Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. The company also is a leading services provider through Caterpillar Financial Services, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services, Caterpillar Logistics Services and Progress Rail Services. More information is available at: http://www.caterpillar.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release relate to future events and expectations and are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to known and unknown factors that may cause Caterpillar's actual results to be different from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Words such as "believe," "estimate," "will be," "will," "would," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "project," "intend," "could," "should" or other similar words or expressions often identify forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding our outlook, projections, forecasts or trend descriptions. These statements do not guarantee future performance, and Caterpillar does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.
It is important to note that Caterpillar's actual results may differ materially from those described or implied in its forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to: (i) global economic conditions and economic conditions in the industries and markets Caterpillar serves; (ii) government monetary or fiscal policies and government spending on infrastructure; (iii) commodity or component price increases and/or limited availability of raw materials and component products, including steel; (iv) Caterpillar's and its customers', dealers' and suppliers' ability to access and manage liquidity; (v) political and economic risks associated with our global operations, including changes in laws, regulations or government policies, currency restrictions, restrictions on repatriation of earnings, burdensome tariffs or quotas, national and international conflict, including terrorist acts and political and economic instability or civil unrest in the countries in which Caterpillar operates; (vi) Caterpillar's and Cat Financial's ability to maintain their respective credit ratings, material increases in either company's cost of borrowing or an inability of either company to access capital markets; (vii) financial condition and credit worthiness of Cat Financial's customers; (viii) inability to realize expected benefits from acquisitions and divestitures, including the acquisition of Bucyrus International, Inc.; (ix) international trade and investment policies, such as import quotas, capital controls or tariffs; (x) the possibility that Caterpillar's introduction of Tier 4 emissions compliant machines and engines is not successful; (xi) market acceptance of Caterpillar's products and services; (xii) effects of changes in the competitive environment, which may include decreased market share, lack of acceptance of price increases, and/or negative changes to our geographic and product mix of sales; (xiii) union disputes or other employee relations issues; (xiv) Caterpillar's ability to successfully implement the Caterpillar Production System or other productivity initiatives; (xv) adverse changes in sourcing practices of our dealers or original equipment manufacturers; (xvi) compliance costs associated with environmental laws and regulations; (xvii) alleged or actual violations of trade or anti-corruption laws and regulations; (xviii) additional tax expense or exposure; (xix) currency fluctuations, particularly increases and decreases in the U.S. dollar against other currencies; (xx) failure of Caterpillar or Cat Financial to comply with financial covenants in their respective credit facilities; (xxi) increased funding obligations under our pension plans; (xxii) significant legal proceedings, claims, lawsuits or investigations; (xxiii) imposition of operational restrictions or compliance requirements if carbon emissions legislation and/or regulations are adopted; (xxiv) changes in accounting standards or adoption of new accounting standards; (xxv) adverse effects of natural disasters; and (xxvi) other factors described in more detail under "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in Part I of our Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 22, 2011 for the year ended December 31, 2010. This filing is available on our website at www.caterpillar.com/secfilings.
SOURCE Caterpillar Inc.
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