Caterpillar Manufacturing Plant, Gosselies, Belgium

Caterpillar, Gosselies, Belgium

Opening in 1965 the Caterpillar plant in Gosselies, Belgium was a huge manufacturing plant. Excavators and parts were assembled until closure in 2016.

Visited April 2018  Belgium Gosselies, Belgium Closed, Decommissioned

Production of hydraulic excavators and medium-wheel loaders began at Caterpillar’s Gosselies plant in 1965. At 100 hectares, this was the biggest industrial site in Wallonia, Belgium’s southern region and was home to the headquarters of Caterpillar Belgium. By 1967, Caterpillar workers produced 40 machines a month, from diesel engines to industrial equipment. In 1972, a new assembly hall covering eight hectares was added. In 2000, the plant started to make its first electric motors for industrial equipment. Some 97 percent of the output of the plant was exported to the world market, until 2013 when management limited it to the European Union. In later years the facility concentrated on the manufacture only of components rather than full-scale assembly. The factory closed in 2016 with the loss of 2,000 jobs, and manufacturing was shifted to existing plants in other countries.

Archive images from when the facility was in use
Archive images from when the facility was in use
Caterpillar, Gosselies - The vast, now empty space in the first building we entered
Caterpillar, Gosselies – The vast, now empty space in the first building we entered
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Part of a production line
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Part of a production line
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Converyors on a production line
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Converyors on a production line
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Parts manufacturing area
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Parts manufacturing area
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Manufactured parts such as bearings
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Manufactured parts such as bearings
Caterpillar, Gosselies - An array of pipes and valves
Caterpillar, Gosselies – An array of pipes and valves
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Parts manufacturing and assembly
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Parts manufacturing and assembly
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Parts machining
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Parts machining
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Rows of furnaces
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Rows of furnaces
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Aichelin Furnace and control panel
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Aichelin Furnace and control panel
Caterpillar, Gosselies - More assembly areas
Caterpillar, Gosselies – More assembly areas
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Manufacturing machinery
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Manufacturing machinery
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Furnaces and machinery
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Furnaces and machinery
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Automated forklift vehicles
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Automated forklift vehicles
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Karl Klink machines
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Karl Klink machines
Caterpillar, Gosselies - One of the production robots
Caterpillar, Gosselies – One of the production robots
Caterpillar, Gosselies - ABB robot with forked attachment
Caterpillar, Gosselies – ABB robot with forked attachment
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Automated abrasion machines
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Automated abrasion machines
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Another robot
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Another robot
Caterpillar, Gosselies - One of the control stations
Caterpillar, Gosselies – One of the control stations
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Robot on the production line
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Robot on the production line
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Automated lathes
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Automated lathes
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Front of an automated lathe
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Front of an automated lathe
Caterpillar, Gosselies - More robotic production line
Caterpillar, Gosselies – More robotic production line
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Inside a lathe
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Inside a lathe
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Inside an automated machine
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Inside an automated machine
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Paint sprayer and extraction
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Paint sprayer and extraction
Caterpillar, Gosselies - Walkway
Caterpillar, Gosselies – Walkway
Caterpillar, Gosselies - The site's massive water tower
Caterpillar, Gosselies – The site’s massive water tower
Author: Andy Kay | Facebook | Flickr | Instagram

One thought on Caterpillar Manufacturing Plant, Gosselies, Belgium

  1. I visited Gosselies plant in 1998 while working for the argentinian dealer, I still work for a Cat dealer, now in Europe. I love the brand and it breakes my heart to see the plant like this. Thanks for sharing.

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