By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News

Caterpillar in Pontiac is looking to hire after recently expanding to make up for the closure of other plants.

Factory Manager Steven Harding was a guest on a recent community forum and explained the changes that led to the new job opportunities.

“We closed two facilities last year. One was in Thomasville, Georgia, and one in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We moved that work and those processes to here in Pontiac. IT’s great news for us in the facility, great news for the community. Unfortunately, the actions were painful for the dedicated workforce, their families and the impacted communities, so we’re getting things moved here to the Pontiac facility and getting things going. We’re not done yet. Right now, we have an immediate need for 20 additional employees in the areas of machining and welding,” Harding said.

For more information or to apply, visit cat.com/careers.