Navistar International and Caterpillar closed a joint venture plan resulting in a new company, NC2 Global, to serve the global commercial truck market. The companies announced the NC2 leadership team and board members, along with global truck venture plans.
The joint venture, originally announced in June 2008, will develop, manufacture and distribute commercial trucks with an initial focus on markets including Australia, Brazil, China, Russia, South Africa and Turkey. NC2’s product line will include both conventional and cab-over truck designs and will be sold under both the CAT and Navistar brands.
Navistar and Caterpillar continue to work on design and development of a new vocational truck for the North American market. The trucks will be manufactured in Navistar’s Garland, Texas, facility and will be sold and serviced through the CAT dealer network. The trucks are scheduled for full production in mid 2011.
When the plan was originally announced in June 2008, both companies planned to cooperate on engine development, not utilizing the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology for the EPA 2010 standards. Instead, Navistar has been developing a MaxxForce Advanced exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system to meet emissions standards.
Caterpillar and Navistar worked together to develop NC2’s leadership team and appoint board members. The companies named key business unit directors for product development, sales and marketing, dealer operations, production, supply chain and parts and service.
Al Salitel, former Navistar vice president of marketing, will head up the new company as President. Before joining Navistar, Salitel held key senior marketing positions at Sony Electronics, Jaguar and Ford’s Premiere Automotive Group. Bob Iacullo, former business resource manager for Caterpillar’s Infrastructure Product Development Division, was named chief financial officer for NC2.
Navistar and Caterpillar each named three people to NC2’s board of directors. Caterpillar Group president Doug Oberhelman will serve as chairman and Navistar Tuck Group president Dee Kapur will serve as lead director from Navistar.
