Case Study: Caterpillar Inc.: George Schaefer Takes Charge History of Caterpillar, SWOT Analysis, Competitive Environment, Proposed Options, and Recommendations for Growth

History Nothing is more familiar on a construction site than the bright yellow heavy equipment manufactured by Caterpillar, Inc. Caterpillar Inc., headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, has dominated the world in earth moving, construction, and materials machinery for more than 50 years. Their global dominance; however, created a stagnant and risk averse environment. Komatsu, a leading Japanese competitor, had gained market share by offering low cost, high quality options in a variety of product lines while Caterpillar …

…all of its past. Indeed, a critical question is: What part of our past can we use as a 'pivot' to get to the future, and what part of our past represents excess baggage? " REFERENCES BOOKS Hamel, Gary. C.K. Prahahlad. Competing for the Future, (Harvard Business School, 1994). ISBN 0-87584-716-1. INTERNET http://www.briefing.ft.com/ftsurveys/sp5d7e.html CASE STUDY Harvard Business Schoool, July 1991. Caterpillar Inc.: George Schaefer Takes Charge