Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar Inc. announced last month that it plans to close a distribution center in Joliet that employs 206 people, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times.
The facility, which housed Caterpillar Logistics Services, a subsidiary that ships and warehouses products for other companies as well as Caterpillar, lost the contract with CNH Global, its biggest customer. CNH plans to use other Caterpillar facilities instead, specifically one in Lebanon, Ind.
According to the Sun-Times, the closing is scheduled to take place in phases over the next 18 months, with layoffs beginning as soon as March 15.