executive summary
Nothing is more familiar on a construction site than the bright yellow heavy equipment manufactured by Caterpillar, Inc. Caterpillar Inc., headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, has dominated the world in earth moving, construction, and materials machinery for more than 50 years. Their global dominance; however, created a stagnant and risk averse environment. Komatsu, a leading Japanese competitor, had gained market share by offering low cost, high quality options in a variety of product lines while Caterpillar was busy raising prices in their existing product lines at an average of 10% per year. The key strengths of the company were its commitment to product innovation and its large loyal distribution base. The changing socio-economic conditions of the world could force CAT to change some of the ways they are doing business now and offer products that the customer requires rather that the manufacturer proposes. Developing countries are building highways, bridges, and waterways necessary to sustain economic growth.
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Figure 3Caterpillar will need to ensure its product line can meet the growing demands of these countries. All the while, Caterpillar also needs to look at the United States market and identify pockets of opportunities. Small residential contractors or individuals may need heavy equipment for a shorter period of time to accomplish landscaping, moving earth.
This report assesses CAT against competitors in its major operational business segments. The report compares the company's financial performance, geographical presence, products and services and business strategies with those of its competitors. The report also gives an insight into the competitiveness of the sector and identifies the gaps that could be exploited by the company. The assessment covers the growth trends in key business segments and provides information about the client base of the competitors.
Finally a set of recommendations to Mr. Lee Morgan is provided which focus chiefly...