Caterpillar 2012 Annual Report Download - page 19

Features 19
2012 Year in Review
ROCK SOLID
What does the future look like for Caterpillar and its customers?
How and where will Cat® products work in 2030? What tech-
nologies will customers need to be successful? The Caterpillar
product development community is thinking about these questions
today in order to meet customer needs well into the future.
The enterprise product and technology strategy is the foundation of
Caterpillar’s future vision. The strategy, conceived in 2011 and introduced
in 2012, defines the key technologies and areas of research and
development investment necessary to meet customer needs and
sustain Caterpillar’s competitive advantage for the long term.
It is focused on three themes — Energy & Power Systems, Machines
& Machine Systems and Automation & Enterprise Solutions. Each theme
has bold goals serving as targets against which development progress
can be measured. Research and advanced engineering activities
currently under way within these areas include opportunities to
reduce customer owning and operating costs; improve productivity
and safety; and improve the environment.
In 2012 the technology strategy came to life in the form of several
innovative technologies and products with customer value outcomes.
Energy & Power Systems: For some customer applications, natural
gas can represent a breakthrough opportunity for fuel-cost savings when
compared to diesel power alone. Efforts to expand natural gas-fueled
power system products are well under way with the acquisition of MWM
and an agreement with Westport Innovations to develop dual-fuel
(diesel and gas) injectors for large mining trucks and EMD locomotives.
“Dual-fuel and natural-gas engines can bring a significant cost advantage
to many customers’ bottom line. We are introducing a complete lineup
of gas-capable power systems across the market segments — electric
power, petroleum, mining, rail and marine — to provide this value,”
said Joel Feucht, general manager for Gas/Medium Speed Engines in
Caterpillar’s Large Power Systems and Growth Markets Division.
Machines & Machine Systems: A suite of advanced machine system
technologies brings innovations in hydraulics and transmissions
together to enable unprecedented efficiency and productivity. The
Cat® 336E H, Caterpillar’s first hydraulic hybrid excavator, uses up to
25 percent less fuel than the standard Cat® 336E excavator, while
delivering equal or better performance. “We are applying technologies
which reduce our customers’ owning and operating costs to ensure
they make more money when they choose Cat products and the Cat®
dealer network than they can with any competitive alternative. This
new generation of machines uses far less fuel, which translates to
lower cost for customers and lower emissions for the environment,”
said Ken Gray, global product manager for Large Hydraulic Excavators
in Caterpillar’s Excavation Division.
Automation & Enterprise Solutions: The autonomous mine site of
the future is becoming a reality with the development of Cat Command for
Hauling. Since March of 2011, Caterpillar, in alliance with BHP Billiton,
has commissioned Billiton’s Navajo mine site in New Mexico to trial a
small fleet of autonomous Cat® 793 Mining Trucks, 24 hours per day,
seven days per week.
“The technology that we use in these unmanned machines will
revolutionize the way we approach mining in the future. These trucks
are able to operate in hazardous conditions, on continual shifts without
putting our operators in harm’s way,” explained Jim Humphrey, the
program’s first project manager and member of the mining solutions
team. “It’s been a very successful trial program to date.”
The world of the future holds many challenges for Caterpillar customers.
Caterpillar’s product development community is working now to bring
innovation to bear on those future challenges and turn them into
opportunities for long-term success.
Rock Solid Plan
HIGH-TECH VISION
A technology roadmap is created to
keep customers competitive.