Caterpillar Expects Record Profits for 2012

Caterpillar, which announced this month that straddling the Athens-Oconee line, is expecing to break sales and profit records in 2012, according to media reports.

The construction machinery manufacturer has made a lot of headlines in recent days for its Georgia announcement, which could bring thousands of related jobs to the area, and to other strategic moves that have affected communities in the United States and around the world.

Many stock analysts are highlighting Caterpillar's financial strength and discussing whether the company's stock can maintain its momentum. Other experts are analyzing Caterpillar's strategy of moving some of its manufacturing operations back to North America.

Closer to home, Barrow Journal co-publisher Mike Buffington opines that Barrow County will get a lot of benefit from the new plant without shouldering the expenses Athens and Oconee have taken on to lure the company.

And in light of for its role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Morgan County citizen reports that Presbyterian leaders in that county support Caterpillar's move to the region.

What are your latest thoughts on the Caterpillar plant? Should nearby counties be sharing the incentive costs offered by Oconee and Athens?