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Crawling toward success Benjamin Holt coined the "Caterpillar" trademark in the early 1900s when he successfully replaced the wheels of steam-traction engines with tracks. The crawling engines distributed their weight more easily and could go places where wheeled engines would become stuck. Caterpillar is now the world's leading manufacturer of earth-moving machinery and construction equipment. The company markets and sells its well-known rigs, as well as gas and diesel engines, across the globe and has manufacturing operations in 13 different countries. Where's Hoffa when you need him? Caterpillar was hit hard by the recession of the late 1980s, and it overcame difficulty by doubling its product line while decentralizing its corporate structure. While profits returned, labor troubles have plagued the company, including an 18-month strike that received national attention during the 1992 presidential campaign. Caterpillar's union problems have recurred, but the company's revenues have simultaneously increased, thanks to a strong customer base (over 80 percent of its sales come from repeat customers), a global clientele (more than half of its revenues are from overseas), and the success of Caterpillar's own financing company. In 1993, Caterpillar completed a six year $1.8 billion effort to modernize and automate its factories. UAW workers went out on strike but the company's ability to maintain production forced workers to return two years later without a contract. Pluggin' along In 1998, Caterpillar bought its supplier Perkins Engines for $1.33 billion. But the company was forced to pay a $25 million no contest fine after the government accused Caterpillar of manipulating diesel engine emissions tests. Chairman and CEO Donald Fites will step down in 1999 and be replaced by Vice Chairman Glen Barton. The company recently sold its electronic generator business to Emerson Electric. In turn, Caterpillar acquired Emerson's stake in their joint venture with F.G. Wilson, the largest generator manufacturer in Europe. Caterpillar has used a slew of recent acquisition to bolster its product lines in areas such as road paving, marine deisel engines, and telemanders. It also rolled out a compact line of equipment aimed at small contractors who rent the equipment rather than buying expensive, full-sized models. Caterpillar is also expanding in its electricity generating business, as it is now the fourth largest manufacturer of electric generators in the country.
The company's employment Web page, located at www.cat.com/employment, describes the various departments and their degree requirements. Openings are available in information services, accounting/finance, logistics, and technical marketing. The Web also provides a "self-analysis" quiz to help potential applicants match their interests and skills to potential positions at Caterpillar. The company prefers recent college graduates with a minimum GPA of 2.8. Caterpillar advises students to check with their career services or placement office to arrange campus interviews with the company. Applicants can mail or fax their resumes, and the Web page gives instructions on submitting them electronically. Many positions require specific technical or engineering expertise. The company does not keep resumes on file so an applicant will have to submit a new resume for reconsideration if there are no immediate openings to fit his/her qualification.
Resentment from the company's labor troubles still lingers, but Caterpillar employees are also proud to be working for the "undisputed" leader of the agricultural machinery industry. Many emphasize the "friendly, cooperative, and casual" atmosphere of the corporate headquarters, and others point out that "great communications skills" play a key role in the company's success. Those working in engineering or information technologies praise Caterpillar's emphasis on research and call it a "progressive" company "on the leading edge of technology." Dress code is described as business casual (no ties) and schedules are typically 8 hours a day/5 days a week. According to one insider, "pay ranges for technical and managers are based on industry averages while pay ranges for clericals and laborers are based on regional labor pool averages."
CCPI Human Resources P.O. Box 13621 Minneapolis MN 55440 612-493-1345
Agricultural tractors;Backhoe loaders;Compact construction equipment;Engines;Excavators;Motor graders;Paving products;Track-type tractors;Trucks;Wheel loaders
Hitachi;Hyundai More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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