JIM UMPLEBY

Construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar says it's packing up its headquarters from its longtime home state of Illinois and heading to Texas.

Caterpillar’s sales surged in the final quarter of the year despite ongoing disruptions in the global supply chain that have hit almost every sector of the economy.

Caterpillar’s sales rose in the first quarter as market conditions for the machinery company begin to improve and dealers increase their inventory levels.

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2019, photo a Puckett Machinery Company technician walks past a new heavy duty Caterpillar excavator that awaits modification at Puckett Machinery Company in Flowood, Miss. The Deerfield, Illinois, company reported a profit Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, of $1.22 per share. Sales were $11.24 billion, down significantly from last year's $13.14 billion, yet far better than Wall Street projections of $11.18 billion, according to a survey of analysts by Zacks Investment Research. That is still well below the $1.1 billion, or $1.97 per share, that the company earned in the prior year. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the U.S. economy shrank in 2020 by the largest amount in 74 years, and the Labor Department reported that 847,000 Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week.