Four Caterpillar fabrication teams participated in an employee incentive exercise to produce veritable works of art from scrap metal.
The welding teams had minimal design requirements, limited only to scrap pieces and given five weeks to create their works.
Randy Peters is a welder fabricator in building LL East Peoria. He worked on the team that created a glossy finished 14-inch globe that weighs 80 pounds. It spins on an axis, and is topped with a weather vane and a dozer poised at the side. “The whole theme about it was Caterpillar moving the world. That’s the whole reason for the dozer being attached to the world is Caterpillar is all over the world and Caterpillar moves everything that gets in its way,” Peters says.
Each of the designs feature intricacies showcasing the nature of each teams’ vision, fabrication and welding skills.
Tim Williams is the manager of the East Peoria Caterpillar facility. He says he was impressed by the creativity, innovation, teamwork and Caterpillar pride. “I knew they were very skilled folks, but when I actually went over and they showed me the completed products for the first time and they kept everything secret, but when I saw all four of the finished sculptures, I was like everybody else, I was blown away by what they produced. Williams says.”
The artistic welding competition included about 60 welder-artists. The Cat welders agree, competing with their colleagues for the pieces of scrap metal was the biggest part of the challenge.
The pieces will be displayed at the Caterpillar Visitors Center in January and each team member will receive free tickets so their families can view their art up close.