Caterpillar is entering the home and outdoor power market with the introduction of portable generators, the company announced Wednesday.

The new generators -- the Cat® RP Series – are designed to provide reliable backup or recreational power to residential users and portable power to professional contractors who need to power tools and lights on the job.

The initial models of portable generators in the Cat RP Series range in size and power from 3.6 kW to 7.5 kW in North America and 2.5 kW to 4.4 kW in Europe, the company said.

This product is available to purchase through a new multi-channel distribution approach — including Cat Dealers, local retailers, and eventually national retailers and wholesalers — that will serve as Cat Home & Outdoor Power Authorized Sales and Service Centers.

“This is about providing a new customer base with the right solutions for their home and outdoor power needs that reflect the reliability, rugged capabilities and quality with which Cat products are known,” said George Taylor, Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for the Marketing & Digital Division and the company’s chief marketing officer.

“We want to connect these customers to Caterpillar’s decades of experience in the electric power business, and this new distribution approach means we can do just that,” Taylor explained.

The new products will be introduced to distribution networks in the U.S. and Canada over the remainder of 2016 with a move into European networks late in the year, the company said.

An expanded home and outdoor power portfolio is under development with more product launches anticipated in 2017, it added.