Caterpillar is laying down tracks in China in a big way, with one of its most senior executives now based in Hong Kong.
The move to shift group president Richard Lavin to the city makes sense for the company, whose fortunes are increasingly tied to this region. The mainland is now the world's largest market for construction equipment, but Caterpillar is facing stiffer competition from cheaper Chinese rivals.
Lavin is the first group president of the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment to be based in Asia. The former lawyer turned corporate leader has a long connection with Asia, having been based in Hong Kong for Caterpillar in the 1980s. The United States firm, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has five group presidents reporting to the chief executive.
Lavin is responsible for the company's three global machinery businesses - excavation, earth moving and building construction products.
He is also head of the Japan market, manufacturing in Europe and Latin America, as well as China, India, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS, the former Soviet Union), and Indonesia.
Reflecting growth in its Asian markets, Caterpillar's global workforce climbed to 152,983 last year from 126,556 in 2010. The company added 7,717 new workers outside the US last year.