Steve Wunning, Caterpillar group president with responsibility for Resource Industries will retire from the company, capping a 42-year career with the equipment maker.

His is one of three departures that were announced by Caterpillar.

Steve Wunning, 63, is retiring after 41 years with the company. He will be replaced in January by Ed Rapp, 57, who will leave Caterpillar’s construction industries segment to lead Caterpillar's resource industries group.

“It’s no secret the mining industry has gone through a tough period the last couple years,” Caterpillar Chief Executive Doug Oberhelman said in a statement. “In the face of that challenging environment, Steve has provided outstanding leadership and guidance for our global mining employees, dealers and customers, and his acute focus on cost management will have us ready for the mining upturn.”

Rob Charter, 51, was appointed president of customer and dealer support. Charter joined the company in 1989 as a development engineer in Australia. He was promoted last year to vice president of the company’s excavation division.??Charter is replacing Stu Levenick, who is retiring after 37 years with the company.

“I can’t think of anyone who has done more to strengthen and deepen the relationship between Caterpillar and its global dealer network than Stu,” Oberhelman said in a statement.

Oberhelman called Levenick “the architect” of a program rolled out in April aimed at lifting the financial performance of dealer networks. Dealers have until the end of the year to come up with a plan to raise key metrics. Once approved by Caterpillar, they have three years to meet the new targets.

Caterpillar also said Steve Gosselin, a vice president who has been at Caterpillar for more than 35 years, will retire in February.
George Taylor, 53, general manager for Caterpillar’s global on-highway truck group, will replace Gosselin.