VICTORIA, TX—Caterpillar Inc., has opened a 600,000-square-foot hydraulic excavator assembly plant here. The $200 million facility will employ 225.

DONALD, OR—GK Machine Inc., a manufacturer of custom farm and industrial equipment, is seeking 50 skilled workers, including welders, fabricators and laser operators.

MEAD, OK—A worker was killed here last week after a plasma cutter ignited flammable vapors, triggering an explosion at a heavy-equipment assembly plant.

MARKTOBERDORF, Germany—Fendt tractors, a division of AGCO, has implemented a real-time production tracking system from Ubisense.

FORT WORTH, TX—GE has begun hiring and training the 275 employees for its new mining equipment and locomotive assembly plant here.

GOODFIELD, IL—Case IH has broke ground on an expansion of its assembly plant here, which manufactures tillage and fertilizer application equipment.

ROCHELLE, IL—Nippon Sharyo has opened a new $50 million railcar assembly plant here. The plant will employ 250 by next year.

KATY, TX—Weatherford Artificial Lift Systems Weatherford Artificial Lift Systems Inc., a manufacturer of oil-field equipment, is building a $100 million assembly plant here that is expected to create 425 jobs.

OMAHA, NE—If all goes to plan, in five years agricultural equipment manufacturer CLAAS will double its manufacturing capacity and significantly ramp up hiring at its assembly plant here.

BELLEVILLE, KS—Irrigation equipment manufacturer Reinke Manufacturing Co. Inc. will expand its assembly plant here and more than double its workforce over the next 18 months.