Caterpillar is a big company that makes trucks and machines for building and digging. They have a special place in Green Valley called Tinaja Hills where they show off their newest stuff and teach people how to use it.

The Tinaja Hills Learning and Demonstration Center is on 6,500 acres of land. It’s one of three places in the world where Caterpillar teaches people about their machines.

Around 6,000 to 8,000 customers, dealers, and Caterpillar workers come to Green Valley each year. They learn about the latest products and see them in action.

The place has classrooms, places to fix machines, and areas for big meetings. They have 30 workers there, and 10 of them are very experienced at using the machines and showing others how they work.

Marty Dains, who plans events there, says they focus on teaching about mining. They train workers from different jobs, like machine operators.

“We’re special because we have experienced workers who show customers how to use our machines,” he said. “They go around the world to help customers use our machines the best way for their work.”

They teach different things at Tinaja Hills, like how to sell machines and how to fix them. Salespeople from shops that sell Caterpillar machines come to learn for a few weeks. Experts also learn about new technology and take it back to customers.

“When we’re not doing that, our technicians from shops and customers’ workplaces come to learn how to fix and use the machines,” Marty explained.

They don’t only teach; they also show how the machines work. They bring in groups of customers and dealers to see all the different machines Caterpillar makes. They explain everything and even use cameras inside the trucks so people can see what it’s like to drive them.

Lisa Miller, who talks to the public for Caterpillar, says they also want to get young people interested in working with these big machines. They work with schools to train students for these good-paying jobs.

Caterpillar is always trying to make better technology. Marty says they talk a lot with customers and dealers to know what new things they want. They have groups where they discuss ideas.

“Customers often give us ideas for new things they want in our machines,” he said. “We listen to them to make our machines better.”

One big thing they’ve worked on is automation, which helps keep workers safe. They started this about 10 to 15 years ago but have been testing it for 30 years. It helps workers operate machines from far away.

“It was made to keep workers safe, but it also helps them work better,” Marty said. “It lets our customers be productive while staying safe.”

The technology lets workers control the machines from far away using special controls. This keeps them safe from dangers like bad air or dangerous places.

“We still need workers to use our machines, even with this technology,” Marty reassured. “We’re always training them on what’s new and making sure they’re experts at using our machines.”

Tinaja Hills has been showing off Caterpillar’s cool stuff since 1990. They keep training people as the technology changes every year. They bring in experts to teach workers about the new things and keep everyone up to date.