Construction equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. has announced it plans to build small hydraulic excavators in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

The company has signed an investment agreement with the Jiangning science park administrative committee in Nanjing, company sources said Monday.

The proposed facility, to cover 150,000 square meters, will be located in the science park and wholly owned by Caterpillar. Construction is to start at the beginning of 2009.

The United States-based manufacturer has 16 facilities in China. By the end of this year, Caterpillar will employ more than 7,000 people.

(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2008)