Caterpillar 2010 Annual Report Download - page 5

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5
Of course I laughed at the comment, but you know, he had a point. Caterpillar is big. Our products are world class – and in
many cases those products are the global market leader. We had the top-performing stock in the Dow Jones Industrial
Average for 2010. I could go on, but the point is, we are used to being on the top – and that’s not necessarily a good thing.
The challenges we face in the industry and from our competitors are formidable. Too much confidence leads to complacency.
That’s not what we want and it won’t help us serve our customers. Instead we have to renew our strengths – be proud of
our history and past successes and build on them. But at the same time we have to actively shape our future, and that
requires looking outside of Caterpillar.
Customers Drive Caterpillar
This past summer we introduced our updated Enterprise Strategy. It’s simple.
It’s straightforward. And it’s all about serving our customers better.
We love our customers. It’s easy. They are the reason we are in business,
and we are grateful every time they choose Caterpillar products, services
and solutions.
But loving our customers and serving them are two very different things.
Serving them is difficult. Customers are a tough group. They are demanding.
They have extremely high expectations. Sometimes they are really happy
with us, and other times they are, quite frankly, irritated with us.
I’ve made it a point to personally meet with at least one customer each week. I never know what I’m going to hear at these
meetings, but the information I learn is always valuable. And we use that information to learn how to serve our customers
better – that’s what it’s all about.
We have to think like our customers. That’s what has to drive our decisions every day because we know that when our
customers win, our company wins – and that includes our stockholders and our people.
And every customer is different, but one thing is absolutely the same, our customers want the world’s best products, readily
available and ready to work every day, priced in line with the money they can earn with them. That’s what will drive our work
at Caterpillar both today and tomorrow.
Douglas R. Oberhelman
Chairman and CEO
Caterpillar Inc.
CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
2010 YEAR IN REVIEW
Our service businesses, such as the Cat ®
Rental Store, extend our ability to meet
different customer needs.