Thompson Tractor Co. Inc. announced the company has acquired the expanded Cat mining equipment distribution and support business for its territories from Caterpillar Global Mining LLC. Thompson Tractor is the authorized Cat dealer in Alabama and northwest Florida.

"Alabama is blessed with an abundance of metallurgical and thermal coal, said Mike Thompson, president of Thompson Tractor. "We also serve a multitude of limestone quarries. Caterpillar’s purchase of Bucyrus and our purchase of that distribution and support business will allow Thompson Tractor to be a more complete vendor to these two great industries. We applaud Caterpillar’s resolve to offer the most complete line of mining equipment in the world, and we look forward to the opportunity these new products bring to our company."

Thompson Tractor assumed responsibility for the sales, marketing and product support of the expanded Cat mining products, which includes electric rope shovels, hydraulic mining shovels, surface and underground drills, draglines, continuous mining machines and belt systems for underground mining, as well as large electric-drive mining trucks.

"We are committed to the mining industry and to serving our mining customers with unmatched support, integrated solutions and the best quality products and services," said Steve Wunning, Caterpillar group president of resource industries. "One of the best ways we can serve our customers is through Caterpillar’s dealer network. Thompson Tractor shares our goal to exceed customers’ expectations and plays a pivotal role in helping us build and maintain our world-class system of distribution and product support."

Caterpillar has announced similar transactions with other dealers over the last several months. Caterpillar continues to hold discussions with other Cat dealers that have mining activity in their territories and will continue to operate the former Bucyrus distribution business until the transitions have occurred in a given territory.