Louisiana Caterpillar – Headquarters
A purpose-engineered facility to meet rising generator demands with confidence — delivering expanded lift capacity, optimized workflow and performance at scale.
Project
Overview
Louisiana Cat, founded in 1933, is the official Caterpillar® dealer for the state of Louisiana, supporting customers through sales, rentals, parts and service across 21 locations.
Its Port of Iberia facility serves as a specialized design, fabrication and packaging center for petroleum and marine electric-power-generation engines — critical units transported to offshore platforms and shipyards throughout the Gulf Coast.
The organization required a purpose-built structure engineered for greater lift capacity, greater height and the necessary throughput for modern offshore energy operations.
As generators continued to grow, weighing up to 141,000 pounds and rising more than 20 feet — the limitations of the existing facility became a direct constraint on Louisiana Cat’s ability to serve the offshore market.
As Hardy Hopkins of Louisiana Cat explained, “Our existing facility couldn’t accommodate the change in scale. Larger projects are good for business, so we had to make a change.”
Louisiana Cat turned again to Brown Builders Inc., a 40-year Butler Builder® based in Bossier City and one of the most experienced Butler partners in the region. The long-standing relationship between the companies began in 1981 and has supported Louisiana Cat facilities across the state for more than three decades.
“Louisiana Cat is a great company that serves a huge industry in Louisiana. We enjoy reconnecting with them on new projects. Strategic business relationships such as this have driven our business for over four decades,” said Kristen Brown of Brown Builders.
For the new Port of Iberia facility, Brown Builders recommended a Butler clearspan structural system to provide the open, unobstructed floor space essential for generator assembly and packaging. The 24,000-square-foot building features 60-foot ceilings, custom oversized doors and two 100-ton cranes — elements engineered to deliver the strength, clearance and maneuverability required for Louisiana Cat’s evolving operations.
From assembly to installation, the process is rapid, and the buildings are high quality.
Hopkins emphasized the confidence behind those decisions: “We have a tendency to start in one direction and make changes, and Brown Builders is really adaptable to changes. We’ve got a lot of confidence in Brown Builders, so we follow their lead when they recommend Butler building systems.”
Schedule reliability was equally important to the client. Brown Builders engaged an erection crew deeply familiar with Butler systems to deliver efficient sequencing and consistent installation quality. This level of attention to detail did not go unnoticed.
“Brown Builders are all about efficiency. From assembly to installation, the process is rapid, and the buildings are high quality,” Hopkins said.
Completed in seven months, the new facility gives Louisiana Cat the engineered capacity and operational confidence required to meet industry demands and support future growth.
As Hopkins reflected, “The new facility allows us to meet industry demands and grow our business. We love the building and can’t wait to work with Brown Builders and Butler again in the future.”
