software engineer

assembler

intern

engineer

manufacturing engineer

Foley

I applied to work at Caterpillar in Athens because I was new to town and they seemed like they paid well with opportunities for advancement. Training was a breeze and led me to believe that I would succeed in advancing there. Once I was out of training however the immediate problems were apparent, I was given little to no training in my assembly station, and was told to watch and figure it out with just one example, and then to continue on my own. This typically would be a nonissue in an average assembly position but not so when dealing with working on multiple and various parts on a small tractor and under a strict deadline with heavily enforced procedures. Regardless I eventually got the hang of things and started to do well in my station and even got a couple others in my area down, which leads to pay raises as you get verified in working and learning multiple stations. Shortly after this I was moved to another area (which was managed by a different floor manager, and a different team lead under them) as they were short-staffed and I proved that I could learn quickly. I noticed in this area that people were overly nice to team leads and management as if they were always walking on eggshells around them lest they incur their wrath.Regardless, I once again learned my new station and was even operating ahead of schedule. Apparently I was doing so well, that I should be placed in other people's stations who were falling behind in order to pick up their slack while they would get to slack off, perhaps it was just a coincidence that these same people seemed to be favorites of the team lead and section manager. I had no issue with this as I like to stay busy while at work rather than sitting around and waiting for those behind me to keep up, what I do take issue with was the refusal to be granted my training verification in these other stations, preventing me from gaining a raise, and essentially doing someone else's job for free. This would bump up our efficiency of course, while making the section lead look good and keeping advancement of the underlings down. Once I let it be known that I wasn't there to do someone else's job with zero credit, the team lead and section manager let it be known how they feel about anyone who is willing to stand up for themselves. After this I would be routinely berated for things as simple as taking 10 seconds to drink from my water bottle, or even just missing a spot underneath an obstruction when sweeping the area. this piled on to where even simple questions to the team lead would be ignored and I was being treated with outright hostility, even having private medical issues divulged with fellow employees to make fun of me for. Eventually I grew tired of it and filed a complaint with HR, nothing came of it and a week later I was brought into the HR office and was asked if I wanted to rescind my complaint and if the details I provided were true, I was confused by this and of course wanted to continue with my complaint as I had two other employees in my section willing to corroborate. I was dismissed and still nothing came of it. Two weeks later I was pulled off the line while I was working. I had been sick the day before and called out and was told to report to the in-house nurse to be cleared to come on the floor the next day. I arrived 30 minutes before my 6am shift for this, only for the nurse not to show up until 30 minutes after my shift started. Once again I was told expressly not to enter the work floor without being cleared, and you must enter in order to clock in. Once I was cleared I clocked in and of course it was 30 minutes late because I had to wait for the nurse, I wasn't in trouble for this and my team lead feigned understanding over it. This is when 4 hours later I was pulled off the line and told to bring my things. I was led to the HR office and told I was being terminated for being late to clock in 3 different times. twice being within my first week, both of them being 1 minute late and only because you have to wait in line to clock in, this was 4 and a half months prior to me being pulled off the line. The other instance being that very morning which was completely unavoidable. I was given no chance to defend myself, to bring up the bias of the section lead and management, or to even fetch my own jacket back in my station. At both the job I am now currently am at (and have had since the week after my abrupt firing up to now almost 4 years later) and the job I had before caterpillar I have been nothing short of the best employee I can be, working as hard as needed and then some no matter the circumstances. If you are a self-starter, if you enjoy not working in environments reminiscent of prison, and if you don"t kiss up to anyone but rather want to advance based on your own merits then STAY AWAY FROM CATERPILLAR IN ATHENS. Do yourself a favor and work for people who give basic respect and treat others with dignity. This of course is just my personal experience and perhaps there has been a major overhaul of management in my absence, however I doubt it. I heard horror stories from every employee who wasn't brown-nosing, from physical violence to employees from team leads, to forcing people to work past hours to meet quotas on pain of losing their jobs, to refusal to pay overtime and so on. If you won't take my word for it, go ahead and apply and prove me wrong, I hope they have changed for the sake of the people working there, but from my point of view, I absolutely must advise that you look somewhere else. 

A typical day at Caterpillar consisted of me clocking in everyday including weekends and setting up my area for the day. Sometimes i would hop on a forklift and gather parts needed for the day's jobs or restock our hardware racks. I would reach the days work quota and start cleaning my area of garbage as well as put everything back in place like loose hardware or tools. The days at CAT varied form a high stress load to non at all, depending on the work needed to be done for the day and the race against time to receive parts from other distributors. Communication by radio with my line's fork lift driver as well as my supervisor was always helpful when keeping track of my material and knowing how long before it would arrive to my area. The biggest priorities were to always work safe and to do your best. Time management was also very important to, so that the product was always sent out on time. Quality played a very important role at CAT as well. Once done with the product we would summons an auditor over to inspect any imperfections. I can definitely see why Caterpillar is very popular and well known for its high grade products. 

I Learned that you can never be to careful when it comes to heavy machinery and two ton parts. I also learned how to drive a fork lift and how to operate a crane/hoist. Caterpillar taught me a lot of discipline like punctuality, time management, and how to properly handle high stress level situations.

I always tried to have the best relationships possible with my management. Its a great feeling coming to work everyday and hearing "good morning" or "great work today" form your boss. It gives you confidence in knowing that you are a respected worker and acknowledged for the hard work you've done. That is the type of management attention that i received at CAT. 

Co-workers at CAT were mainly your typical everyday people. Of course there will always be the over achievers and your bare minimum types, but mostly there were people like me, just trying to make a living by doing our best, while also trying to respect all the different walks of life we met no matter what they were trying to prove. I'm the type who can be on anybody's side and i can get along with just about everyone. I rarely had a problem with co-workers at CAT.

The hardest part of my job at CAT would have had to be working in a hot factory during hot summers. As we all do I enjoy being spoiled by air conditioning in the summer time, but I tried not to let that keep me from getting my job done as much as possible. Something else I found difficult was unrealistic quota expectations. Every once in a while I wold be expected to go above and beyond even if it was impossible. weather the quota was to high or miss understanding about how much can be done with the number of parts and hardware I had available. That would then put me in a position where i would look incompetent. One thing that I do disagree with is big company pushing so hard to benefit themselves that down the line someone, typically at the bottom of the totem pole, will suffer in some type of way or another. 

The most enjoyable part of my job was probably be the feeling of great success at the end of the day. Its not every day you hear someone say "I assisted in building a 240 ton truck today". At CAT no matter what your job maybe be it was always something huge and heavy. It's stressful, time consuming, consisted of hundreds of different materials and tools needed for the job and you were expected to push out at least 3 or 4 of what ever you were building in an 8 hr day. To me that type of work ethic and determination is always something to be proud of.

This place is a real wild card to work for depending upon what department you end up working in, and what team lead, and supervisor you get. Most people that worked on main line never smiled , and did not seem happy. Many people that they hired never worked in a plant or construction before, yet because those inexperienced people have worked there a year or two the company culture acts as if they are golden. I would not recommend being a hand at this place. They hire too many people that are not worth having at the company, yet the ones that are worth keeping, are paid the same as the worthless ones. It is frustrating when they hire people that look like they have done hard time in prison, and place them on the same pay scale as you, and place them next to you to work with. Seemed more like a half-way house at times. The place would talk and promote safety, but it was very unsafe. This was due to the people that did not have a real back ground in any field like that, yet CAT would hire them, and say they'd train. Cat's training was pretty  basic if non-existent Working in the white collar departments might be good, but hiring in as a hand is not. Maybe if you never worked in that environment before it is okay, but do not hire in with any real industrial back ground. Plus, I have personally seen Cat's management go, and fire people that were sick, but did not have enough sick time/points to call in, yet the people that called in had the flu. Again it depends on what supervisor you get. It surprised me how Cat was ran. They might have a great product, yet that does not mean a great place to work. There were four accidents in my department during the five months I worked there. One guy was almost crushed between two booms while one of the booms was being flown on a hoist. One girl went and dropped a forestry upper frame from her hoist by the unload table because she used the wrong slings and lift point. A painter inside the booth went and spilled assitone on his head, and he was about to leave for the day , so he removed his PPE. A co-worker of mine flew a boom from the unload table into the computer desk 8 feet over from it. Fortunately no one got their legs broken or were crippled. She never went in for a drug test though. Even though it is Cat's policy to drug test after all accidents. Also, my manager at the paint department did not report three of the accidents that were on his watch. That way he can say he has zero reported accidents for the year. The paint department is okay, but watch yourself in you are on first shift. That supervisor kind of messed me over, hard core. Costed me time and money, but what is done is done. I was paid 13.50 per hour during blue hat period, and 14.00 bump when I left company. When I would work a 60 hour week made about 730.00 after tax no deducts. Overtime was hard to come by depending on Supervisor/department. My advice is don't work for a public traded company which CAT is since you can buy their company stock. All the NYSE companies I have ever worked for tend to value their share holders more than their employees. Privately owned companies are better to work for, at least in my experience.

I can see now how CAT Inc is a global domination.As high as they charge for their products you would think they would pay decent but they do not.CAT bought out ROI TMT and TME in San Antonio TX and Schertz,and when that happened CAT took away perfect attendance bonuses,having your own insurance bonus and lowered the monthly quota bonus from 380 to just 300 and included several stipulations in place to make sure it is as difficult as possible to get even that,ROI use to have Spurs ticket raffles for all,now they are secretly only circulated and drawn within office staff and supervisors.The environment is very very lazy with workers that just either stand around,text on their phones,a maint dept that rides around all day on bicycles and cannot fix any machine problems individually due to routine of daily non productive and constructive work habits,supervisors are also very lazy and corrupt,expect most of them to come in the next morning with alcohol still in their system,if you expect to get promoted or move around best thing to do is the bare medium amount of work,you do too much they break your back and you will never move up even if you have experience from outside the company,you do too little your fired or just stay in the same position.Job advancements are very limited and come with strict rules to monitor and regulate your pay scale,if there is an open position you can apply but expect to lose it from outside hiring without notice and if a supervisor favors a certain worker strictly on the basis of knowing them outside work such as the bar,hunting etc.When CAT bought out ROI they said there would be no changes,as time went by they either cut or transferred original office staff with CAT employees from other cities and states to securely grip their hands over the work force for their own needs.Expect the typical 30-90 day temp probation period to extend from 160 days to over a year plus,they claim there is no open positions and available money to do  hires but yet they frequently decorate the property with CAT promotional propaganda with banners,signs and insignia.the pay is low,and if you do get overtime expect that to be adjusted in the next upcoming weeks,whatever CAT Inc pays you,they will make sure they get that money back by cutting hours.When the first meeting took place that CAT was buying out ROI a Gentleman raised his hand and nicely asked "How much can we expect as far as pay?" and a very rude heavy set,bald Caucasian man in charge of CAT Inc responded back with"Oh you mean what else is CAT willing to do besides making sure you have a job?!" followed by a mix of gasps and laughs,this right there lets you know how this company treats its employees.However,this would be the perfect fresh out of high school job for a student that needs to establish,credit,a residence and money for school and fun.

Caterpillar doesn't care who you are as long as you have hands. Everyone's temporary when you start. They train you for things like driving a forklift or how to paint parts, or how to put a part on an excavator, etc. And that's where you'll stay. For years. You may get team lead, you may get switched around to your neighbor's job, but in the end you still get paid the same low amount of 14 dollars an hour even if your job is important or requires a lot more work.
Unless you have a degree you're going to be stuck in the low brackets of the company. If you spend years and years dealing with their horrible work ethics to become a supervisor, then, well, even the supervisors don't make enough. When Caterpillar was slow, due to not enough sales plus China and the coronavirus, a lot of people had to find another job like working for food delivery apps. And this is after the fact they fired ALL the temporary workers a few months before. No warning, no chance to get full-time. Just instantly told they were letting everyone go.
A lot of the supervisors are nice and upbeat, but some put on a fake face pretending they're happy and relatable when they don't really care about you.
If your machine malfunctions the blame is on you. They don't care about logic, because CAT is all about SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY even when accidents can't be prevented or weren't your fault. Get prepared to get let go even though they tell you to be truthful, to report accidents, and that you won't get in trouble.
A lot of the workers there are nice, have families, and usually old.
GIANT TIP: If you have misophonia DO NOT work here. Caterpillar doesn't care that you and others are bothered by people playing with their very loud forklift horns. So many people have complained about people honking their forklift horns nonstop when they don't have to. They play around like it's a musical instrument. Supervisors don't care. The safety people will flat out teach people to be obnoxious with the horn their first 2 training weeks because it's "safe" when all it does is aggravate everyone. Earplugs that you're required to wear at all times doesn't work. Ear cups they can give you also don't work. It's SO bad. They say they'll work with people with disabilities, but apparently misophonia (which is covered by the ADA's definition) doesn't count.
The most enjoyable time I've ever had in this company is when we were able to work only 4-6 hours and go home. And that's after 1 and a half years of working here. This place will drain your soul with its receptivity. I guess for people who been working as a cashier or janitor all their life, this would be a good job for them. But if you're planning to do something with your life, this place ain't it.
I'll have to quit soon because they crunched 2nd shift into 1st shift. People choose to work a specific shift for a specific reason, like college or sending their kids to school, but Caterpillar doesn't care.

• SAP Plant Maintenance/Customer Service Solution Lead representing IBM for providing Global Template for Enterprise Plant Maintenance, Strategic Direction and Delivery for the Mach 1 global template.
• Lead the client in project scoping, detailed business process requirements definition and project blueprint activities. Ensuring the solution aligns with the transformation efforts including scope change requests (CCRB) and configuration.
• Key Scenarios Developed: Tools Management/Calibration, APO/PP Scheduling Integration around Maintenance, Asset Capitalization, Route Scheduling besides Crib Inventory Management and HRMS.
• Worked with customers to assess current business and system processes and defines plans for improvement.
• Successfully migrated maintenance management from Maximo, DataStream 7i, PM Lube, QSI, eFactoryPro systems into SAP for 12 sites. Currently working with 8 separate new sites for extending SAP PM to at least 350 users.
• Lead various releases through all phases including blueprint, realization & testing, final preparation and post go-live support. Currently leading a team of consultants for the concurrent deployment to more than eight sites across various business functions.
• Lead Localization workshops for several sites across US, Europe & Canada.
• Utilized functional knowledge to develop system solutions designs that most effectively support business requirements.
• Configured SAP system to meet design requirements.
• Established test plans and leads unit, integration and user acceptance test efforts.
• Developed functional specifications and coordinates the testing and integration of development activities.
• Lead and supported data mapping and conversion activities for master data.
• Lead and supported system integration activities and the development of complete process solutions incorporating additional SAP modules. Key integration points to PM include: Asset Management, Material Management, Finance & Controlling, Project Systems, Human Resources, Quality Management, and Production Planning.
• KPI Reporting - Applied expertise in defining metrics and reporting capabilities to support PM solution. Designed various reports such as Response Time, MTBF/MTTR, PM Scheduled Compliance, Maintenance Cost, Machine Downtime reports.
• Training and Support- Developed end user training materials and provided Power User training. Also, provided post implementation support as required.

•	Supported the Global Manufacturing Solutions Team on a new methodology called 'Video Lean Analysis' to design new equipment and materials, recommend revision to methods of operation, material handling, equipment layout and other changes to increase production and improve standards. Also to Study time, motion, methods, speed involved in maintenance, production, and other operations to establish standard production rate to improve efficiency. 
•	Used video lean analysis for Analyzing process and materials data to provide recommendations for reducing tooling costs, improving set-up times, material flows and cycle times and develop business cases for productivity projects.
•	Excelled in TimerPro, Camtasia and splicer software's to employ video lean analysis to determine the standard work for various assembly operations
•	Worked both independently and as part of a team to maintain and improve processes and systems used in product manufacturing by supporting fabrication & Assembly processes in quality issues
•	 Responded to customer issues and lead process improvements by Establishing and maintaining bill of materials and work orders;
•	 Got trained on the team center Vismockup and used the software for a few assembly validations to ensure all systems are running according to necessary specifications and operate within regulations for the production of quality products
•	 Used Cap plus software to import the work orders
•	 Worked on video lean analysis quality audit(process) and training documents, also assisted manager to set up the standards for this methodology
•	Trained a GMS team on video lean analysis software's and applications of the new methodology
•	Researched and supported team to deploy new software's for the video lean analysis and applied concepts of six sigma, 5s, 5y and Kaizen
•	Implemented video lean analysis in various caterpillar locations and worked with a very diverse group of employees and customers
•	Used video lean analysis to control workplace hazards and create a safe and productive environment. Also provided ergonomic assessments to employers by observing, analyzing and documenting workers movements and actions and then presenting recommendations. Also trained the workers on proper procedures and body positioning to prevent injuries 
•	Procured material related to improvements of video lean analysis through external suppliers.

Decent job with above average pay for the area. 

This facility has quality positions for; assembly, machining, fabrication, paint, CMM, salvage and other areas. 

Training will be provided, quality of training will depend on trainer and or willingness to learn by trainee. 

You are assigned multiple areas to monitor so there is almost always something to do.

You are given the tools and access necessary to self improve. 

Math skills will be required. Decimals, conversions, algebra, geometry… etc. 

Blueprint reading is a part of the job

Photo documentation is a part of the job 

Microsoft tools will be used. Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel… ect

Basic to intermediate computer navigation. 

Laptop is provided 

As of the this date Quality is a union position at this facility. 

Direct contact with assigned area supervisors and inventory analysts to determine the outcome and destination of nonconforming material. 

Use of measurement devices such as Calipers, gauges and micrometers may be required 

Be able to determine in house nonconformity vs supplier nonconformity. 

May be required to communicate with engineers to submit deviations from blue print specs. 

Insurance is average, dental and vision is optional. 

A HUGE  CON to this facility is the overall negative atmosphere. A person who tries to better themself may be targeted for harassment and sabotage. 

This is overall a pretty good job. But you must have a spine and be willing and able to learn from mistakes.

One of my favorite parts of the job is seeing the effort of your coaching and documentation shape a better quality culture. 

A typical day for an assembly auditor…
Get to work 
Attend start of shift meeting
Go to desk area 
Log into laptop 
Check emails 
Check on assigned areas  
Answer quality andons (paging system)
Perform physical audits (check for loose fittings, ensure proper orientation, damage….etc)
Document nonconformities
Scrap product via inventory system 
Label nonconforming product 

Management is pretty light on this job. Unless there is a big quality issue going on in one of your areas you shouldn’t see them much. 

Hardest part of the job is dealing with the negative people. People usually don’t like hearing that they are wrong/have made a mistake. 

Maintaining a good relationship with the workers in your assigned areas is recommended. This makes it’s easier to coach and direct as needed when quality starts to slide.


After graduating from NIU in 2000, I accepted a manufacturing engineering position at Caterpillar Inc. in Aurora. Throughout my 16-year career, I was given plenty of opportunities to utilize my education and experience. When I joined the Aurora facility team, I quickly noticed several areas of desperate need. Fortunately, I was at the forefront of utilizing new virtual manufacturing technology and was able to introduce our product group to the utilization of that powerful technology. This virtual environment allowed us to audit and resolve design and manufacturing issues prior to executing any hard iron prototype builds. I led many of these ‘Design for Manufacturing’ initiatives during NPI product concept and development phases which prevented rework and resulted in significant cost avoidances.
Over the last several years as a production Quality & Reliability Engineer, I have personally dedicated myself to achieving a higher level of professional performance. I have completed both Six Sigma DMAIC & DMEDI Black Belt training in additional to CPS (CAT Production System) Lean Manufacturing Black Belt training. I have also provided 6-Sigma Greenbelt training to seven aspiring students. After completing several successful quality improvement projects and achieving the monetary benefits requirement, I was awarded a ‘Certified’ Black Belt status in 2014. In 2015, I was promoted and given additional leadership and subject matter expert responsibilities. I have recently achieved the ASQ Quality Engineer certification and enrolled in graduate school. I continue striving to improve our understanding of quality performance metrics, enhance our quality related communications, and develop comprehensive proactive quality processes. Several of my quality tools and processes have been adopted by the corporate quality team and announced as “Corporate Best Practices” for Caterpillar quality analytics.  The workplace culture at CAT Aurora was great for 16 years, but with the recent decision to close the facility has negatively affected morale. Most enjoyable part of the job was partnering with co-workers to achieve common goals. The worst part of the job is knowing that our facility will be closing down in two years.

The work itself can be pretty interesting, depending on what your manager gives you. It is helpful if you are passionate about paving equipment or industry customers. There are a few specialization teams or committees if you look for them to add variety to work. One downside is that sometimes it's difficult to move up in the company while staying at paving.

The work/life balance in the benefits literature is pretty good for the US, and there are more days off than most companies. In reality, a lot of people don't use all their vacation and/or work a lot of overtime (which isn't compensated). Managers don't seem to recognize specific people for putting in overtime such as giving promotions. The work environment is getting updated and the engineering office upstairs was converted to an open office with sit-stand desks. Working from home was a big thing even before the covid crisis, and a lot of people used it so they could stay home with a cold, let in contractors, etc.

There have been more lay-offs (contract and Cat employees, managers and entry level) than expected for a company I thought was stable, even before covid. The pay seemed to be comparable to online estimates for my experience level. I never checked with peers, so not sure if there was gender-bias in pay. For contract engineers here the pay doesn't sound like it's a lot and contract workers get laid off frequently regardless of how hard they work. The work they do can be pretty comparable to Cat engineers though.

People are generally really nice and a joy to talk to. Everyone is accommodating with their schedules and will make time to help you if you need it. Some people on one of my teams kind of had a clique which was annoying.

The supervisors and team leads get too much work put on them, so it can be hard to meet with them. Upper management is nice, but it's not been the most stable framework. Corporate will come up with a new strategy every couple of years/months and a lot of times that means targets and people will shift, even mid-program. It gets to be difficult meeting targets when they shift so often.

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