Caterpillar Corporation Caterpillar, Inc. Is the World\'s

Caterpillar Corporation

Caterpillar, Inc. is the world's largest manufacturer of heavy equipment machinery, earthmoving machinery, and construction, mining, and agricultural equipment. It also manufactures diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and logging and oil industry equipment. It has over $7 billion in assets, and ranked number one in its industry and number 44 overall in the 2009 Fortune 500 companies. The company itself originated in 1925 with the merger of two companies, and reorganized in 1986 as Caterpillar Inc., with its corporate headquarters in Peoria, Illinois. 2010 revenue was almost $43 billion with almost $3 billion in net income. The company has over 130,000 employees and eight viable subsidiaries (Caterpillar.com, 2011).

Strategy - Caterpillar believes itself to be poised for 21st century growth in a marketplace in which it is recognized as the leader in every country that it does business; that its products, services, and solutions will help customers succeed; that their supply chain and business models drive superior results; that the employees are talented and live the company's values; and that the work the company does, while remaining profitable to stakeholders, also helps customers create a sustainable world.

Goals and Five-Year Plan - For the next five years, Caterpillar is concentrating on delivering superior results and ROI, continuing to be in the top 25% of the S&P 500. The company is dedicated to building a safe and inclusive environment for only the best employees; and to becoming the global leader in each and every country they do business. This is a customer driven plan, designed to allow customers to make more money because of Caterpillar's products, as well as provide sustainable opportunities for the developing world.

Market Share - North America is obviously Caterpillar's largest market, with about 52% of revenues. However, with globalization also comes increased needs within the developing world; particularly in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. During the early part of the 21st century, this segment contributed to about 30% of revenue. This share, however, has changed since 2009, with Asia and the Pacific Rim and many of their giant hydroelectric and urban projects bringing in more than the European nations. Unfortunately for Caterpillar, rising costs for raw materials and labor make it difficult to compete in the Chinese and Indian markets, but in many niche areas, there are no real competitors for specific segments of Caterpillar machinery. The company's long-term debt rose in the 1990s and into the mid-2000s, but restructuring and some of the rising profits from Caterpillar subsidiaries mitigated this situation (e.g. Caterpillar Financial Services, Insurance Holdings, and Logistics) (Orlemann, caterpillar. Com).

SWOT-

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Global market leader, market share

Competition and falling sales in some global regions

New opportunities in Pacific Rim, especially China and India

Continuous and geometric rise is material prices, labor, and mfg.

Improving financial condition as developing countries use product

Fairly high debt structure historically and currently

Population growth means more construction in more places

Mining dependent upon coal prices, market value and global economic issues (GDP)

Business model mix reduces earnings volatility

Dealer's lack confidence in home office forecasting

Strategic joint development programs

Union contracts and labor disputes

Strong and dedicated expertise in field (dealer network).

Home office sometimes lacks innovation

Acquisition and mergers

Dependent on alternative and uncontrollables