Caterpillar 2010 Annual Report Download - page 9

9
THINK LIKE YOUR CUSTOMER
Think Support
The project currently has 41 Cat earthmoving rental
units on site, demanding constant daily service and
maintenance that is provided by Wagner Asia.”
Dale Derby, Operations and Maintenance Manager
Oyu Tolgoi Project Construction Team
Where there are minerals, there are mining customers.
Where there are customers, there is Caterpillar.
This philosophy was behind Cat® dealer Wagner Asia’s decision to open a Cat® Rental Store in the
middle of the remote and sometimes inhospitable Gobi Desert. Wagner’s decision was made without
hesitation as soon as new gold and copper mining operations in the region were announced in 2008.
“To keep these operations running at optimum productivity,
we thought a Cat Rental Store would be helpful,” says
Tselmuun Gal, Director of Rental Services for Wagner Asia.
“In addition to providing extra equipment at peak times, our
technicians could also provide service to keep all kinds of
machines up and running.”
While the decision to open the store was simple, the opening
itself was more complex. The store is situated in the middle
of the Gobi Desert, which occupies 500,000 square miles of
northern China and southern Mongolia. There are no towns or
roads. Everything – building materials, equipment and people
– had to traverse 390 miles of harsh terrain. In addition, temperatures in the region are extreme
with a range of -40°F in winter to well over 122°F in the summer.
Despite these conditions, the Khanbogd store (named for the closest village) opened on schedule
in 2009 with a fleet that ranges from model 773 trucks to backhoe loaders to excavators. During 2010,
business doubled and the staff increased from eight to 14 employees, four of whom are permanent
service technicians. Also during the year, another store opened in the Gobi at Tsogttsetsii to support
development of large coal reserves. Wagner Asia also is adding office facilities and a parts warehouse
to this operation. Finally, yet another store, Nariin Sukhait, is planned to support customers in the
Umnugobi province, Southwest region.
“Why would anyone build a rental store in the desert?” asks Tselmuun. “The answer is simple:
because our customers appreciate it.”
Strategic Thinking
Unmatched Dealer Support
is the Caterpillar operating
principle that extends our
customer relationships far
past the initial sale of a
product to offer ongoing
parts, solutions and service
for the life of the product.
The Gobi Desert is a rocky,
gravel-covered land, but
beneath lies some of the
world’s largest and most
valuable mineral deposits.
The Khanbogd Cat Rental
Store supports Oyu Tolgoi,
site of the world’s largest
copper deposit and a
major gold resource. The
second Cat Rental Store
opened to support Tavan
Tolgoi in the South Gobi
Desert, which is estimated
to contain 7.1 billion
metric tons of coal. The
region’s coal reserves are
enormous and commonly
called Mongolia’s “black
gold.” Some experts have
estimated that these
resources could support
production for the next
10,000 years. If so,
Caterpillar is likely to be
close by, supporting its
customers.
What Lies
Beneath
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2010 YEAR IN REVIEW