Caterpillar will begin manufacturing the 36-ton version of its next generation excavators this fall.
Cat CEO Jim Umpleby announced the addition to its lineup of next generation excavators during the company’s 2018 Annual Shareholders Meeting, held June 13 at its Industrial Power Systems Division in San Antonio, Texas.
The 36-ton excavators will be built at Cat’s Victoria, Texas facility, and will be powered by the Next Gen 9.3B engine, built in Seguin, Texas.
“Our company continues to develop products with lower emissions,” Umpleby said. “We’re investing to improve engine efficiency and expand the use of alternative fuels while decreasing owning and operating costs.”
The 20-ton next generation excavators were unveiled last November at Cat’s end-of-year press briefing. Those machines boast a 15 per cent lower owning and operating cost, 25 per cent lower fuel consumption and 45 per cent improved efficiency, when compared to its F Series excavators. Specs for the 36-ton machines were not revealed during Umpleby’s speech.
“These excavators increase operating efficiency, and reduce fuel and maintenance costs compared to previous models,” Umpleby said. “This was our first major excavator redesign in 25 years. The redesign also embodies an essential component of our strategy: expanding product offerings to match customers’ productivity and cost targets.
During the shareholders meeting, Umpleby also highlighted some of Caterpillars successes. For example, the company now has the world’s largest single autonomous fleet. Last year, via Cat Command for Hauling, the autonomous fleet has moved about 700 million tonnes and travelled 20,921,472 km.
“Our customers want these and more innovations, and we are dedicated to delivering them,” he said. “We know we must always keep moving forward.”
Umpleby also noted the Seguin, Texas factory has been manufacturing Cat and Perkins engines since 2010. Since then, the facility has shipped about 366,000 engines, with more than 70 per cent of the product lines exported annually.
Caterpillar acquired Perkins in 1998 to strengthen its position as a manufacturer of diesel engines.
“Perkins has a long and rich history dating back to its founding in the United Kingdom in 1932. Today, Perkins products are manufactured on four continents and there are Perkins distributors in 180 countries,” Umpleby said. “Our engines provide reliable power for machines that build highways, dams and bridges, for tractors that plow farmers’ fields, and for equipment that mines or extracts the natural resources needed for energy as well as dozens of other industrial uses.”
Caterpillar will stick to its strategy for the remainder of 2018, Umpleby explained.
The focus includes making investments to expand product offerings and services; taking additional steps to becoming a more “agile” company; continue to invest in its people; and a continued investment in the communities where the company’s people live and work.
As well, Cat continues to follow its Operating and Execution Model (O&E), a methodology that provides the company with a detailed understanding of its financial performance by product, region and application.
“With the O&E Model, we also evaluate market economics and assess our capabilities to win,” Umpleby said. “Then we invest in areas with the best opportunities for future profitable growth.”
