Other than, oh, being at the center of icy relations between the U.S. and a Scandinavian country because a wealth fund alleged it played a role in human rights violations, Texas’ Caterpillar Inc. has had a relatively positive last few months. And things are only coming up more Milhouse, apparently, as the Irving-based construction equipment giant has purchased a major Australian company.

“RPMGlobal’s culture and agile approach to developing solutions aligns well with Caterpillar’s intense focus on solving customer needs,” said Caterpillar Resource Industries Group President Denise Johnson. “Their software solutions complement Caterpillar’s existing technologies, especially in areas such as asset management, fleet management and autonomy. Together, we have the potential to enhance mine-site operations for our customers, unlocking even greater value.”

The parties anticipate to close the deal by early 2026.

But back to the alleged human rights violations. In August, Caterpillar was divested from Norway’s $2 trillion wealth fund, which is the largest in the world. The fund’s council on ethics let go of Caterpillar over allegations the company was sending machinery including bulldozers to Gaza and the West Bank for the “unlawful” destruction of property. 

With Caterpillar out of the spotlight for problematic things, the Texas company has recently made headlines for its big moves. Caterpillar recently announced the addition of a high-tech operation in Noblesville, Ind., and the company’s stock has apparently been hitting all-time highs in the last few days, thanks in part to an anticipation of construction demand in relation to the rise of AI data centers.