Market leadership - Caterpillar Cabs

In 2011 I was asked to speak at the Mobile Air Conditioning Society in Orlando, Florida. Also invited to speak was an up-and-coming Cat Sr. Engineering Specialist in the cab and HVAC systems area. We had known each other for several years. After dinner that night, we spent a couple of hours talking through the future of operator enclosures. Convinced of the importance of providing acceptable operator air quality, he took a chance and championed the cause. In so doing, he demonstrated the power of an individual to impact not only a company but the lives of everyone that would use a Cat cab in the future.

Last week, while visiting a large coal mine, I was struck by the test data and the comments of the operators who drove the Cat machines. They commented, "the air quality in this cab is good, I prefer to operate the Cat machine; the other (brands) cabs are dusty inside." The field test data validated what the operators had to say about the acceptable air quality in the Cat cabs.

My Cat Engineering friend had worked with his company peer to take their cab air quality program into the future. With minor upgrades, most Cat cabs can be certified under ISO 23875, and some models can be certified from the factory. Cat cabs are not only better because they pressurize, but they do this better than their competitors. Cat cabs perform better every day and are built to provide operator air quality over the life of the cab.

Over the past ten years, Cat has upgraded their cab from the ground up, with consideration given to all the elements which make for acceptable air quality with an eye to the system's sustainability over the machine's life. It is fantastic to know that the world's most prominent heavy equipment manufacturer is also at the top of the list in operator air quality engineering. Kudos to my Engineering friend, who has recently retired from Cat. It was under his leadership and guidance that this transition was entrusted and executed. This was a monumental accomplishment.