Sundt is in the preconstruction phase of a project that will add hundreds of well-paying jobs to Downtown Tucson.
We have been chosen as the construction manager at risk for Caterpillar’s 150,000-square-foot surface mining and technology headquarters. The building will have room for approximately 600 engineers, product development and support positions working on the next generation of mining equipment, vehicles and technology. The state of Arizona estimates the economic impact to the region at $600 million.
In February, members of the design and construction team toured several Caterpillar sites, including manufacturing facilities in Milwaukee, and Peoria and Decatur, Illinois.
“We saw facilities where they are able to produce 25 or more massive machines each day when operating at peak capacity. It was incredibly impressive,” said Sundt Regional Vice President Ian McDowell.
Our team was also given a tour of the Caterpillar Visitors Center in Peoria that highlights the company’s rich history and innovative technology.
“Everyone talks about autonomous vehicles these days, but few people realize that Caterpillar has been a pioneer of this technology,” Ian said. “Autonomous mining equipment is a reality today because of some of the work Caterpillar has been doing, including developing remote driving technologies that allow people to sit in a control booth in Tucson and operate machinery on a different continent.”
Caterpillar has more than 100,000 employees worldwide. The company was recently named one of the Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies for the 16th consecutive year. Drawing the company to Tucson was a big accomplishment for the city.
“Beyond jobs and other economic benefits, having a Fortune 100 company choose Tucson is an affirmation of how far the city has come and will signal to other potential companies that this is a vibrant and thriving place to locate other businesses,” Ian said.