Chapter 12
Case Study 1
1. What were some of the key steps that led to Caterpillar's becoming the industry leader in earth-moving machinery?
First things first, CAT has unmatched quality and consistency; their product reliability and reputation was the key factor in their success. Caterpillar also invested a great amount of money on market research. They have and continue to innovate to meet the needs of their consumers. They also targeted and developed equipment for different industries such as agriculture and infrastucture. They invested in a factory modernizing program that improved product availability for consumers. This made the company more efficient and competitive. Caterpillar also has an immense product range to serve each market and specific region's needs. Another factor is CAT's business model which provides it all machines, services, and support for a wide range of industries. I have worked with heavy duty equipment for nearly ten years specifically agriculture and infrastucture. I have operated and serviced a wide range of products from John Deere, to Case, to CAT and in my experienced i have found that CAT has the most reliable, and high quality machinery out of every manufacturer. The consistent quality that their machines have shown over the years convinced my company to invest in about twenty new CAT engines for our Grape Harvesters. Im discussing this to show that CAT is always innovating and getting involved in all types of Markets.
2. Discuss CAT's future. What should it do next with its product line? Where is the future growth for this company?
CAT has a plan to expand in emerging countries like India and China. CAT recognizes that these counties are growing rapidly and has a plan to invest in research to find out how to meet the needs of these countries. As the company moves forward, it remains focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions