The former Caterpillar site in Gosselies, Belgium, is being considered as a potential location for John Cockerill’s armored vehicle production line. Charleroi Mayor Thomas Dermine has reached out to the Minister of Defense and several industrial players, including John Cockerill, to propose the site.
John Cockerill representatives are scheduled to visit the former Caterpillar factories to assess the feasibility of establishing a production line for light armored vehicles. This visit follows a similar assessment of the Audi factory in Forest, Brussels. CEO François Michel previously indicated that John Cockerill would explore sites beyond Audi’s facilities. The potential move to the Caterpillar site gained momentum after Mayor Dermine contacted various defense industry operators over the weekend.
“We Have a Strategic Industrial Site”
Mayor Dermine stated, “I think we are in a global rearmament effort. In Charleroi, we have a strategic industrial site, which was designed to assemble heavy machinery, bulldozers, but which can therefore be easily used for armored vehicles. Charleroi is a city with a military tradition, why not play a role again through new industrial projects on the Caterpillar site. In any case, it’s an option that I have notified to the Minister of Defense. It’s up to him to seize the opportunity.”
The Caterpillar site’s existing infrastructure, designed for heavy equipment like bulldozers, makes it a potentially suitable location for manufacturing defense equipment, including tanks and other military vehicles. The strategic location and Charleroi’s historical ties to the military industry further strengthen the site’s appeal for this type of production. The final decision rests with the Minister of Defense and John Cockerill, pending the site visit and feasibility study.
