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This article features the reputation of Doug Oberhelman, chief executive officer (CEO) of construction and mining equipment producer Caterpillar. It recognizes Oberhelman for obtaining respect among employees, investors, dealers and contractors as a business leader with an approachable style. It also acknowledges the interest of Oberhelman in building relationships with dealers and customers to ensure success in business.

This article presents information on equipment management. Executive Dave Markey likes to approach jobsite security the same way he negotiates a big equipment purchase. The 59-year-old vice president of American Infrastructure, Worcester, Pennsylvania. According to law enforcement and crime experts, the exact cost of theft in construction is unknown because not all incidents are reported. Also, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which compiles annual crime reports, does not distinguish construction machines from other types of commercial vehicles. Operators can" only have so many keys" before they manage to lose them, says Pete Spear, fleet administrator for James McHugh Construction Co., Chicago. Technology is helping some contractors overcome the security loophole. Equipment manufacturers, such as Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill., now are offering optional electronic keys.

An interview is presented with John Carpenter, manager of global construction technology and solutions at construction machinery company Caterpillar Inc. Topics of the interview include his work at Caterpillar on understanding how customers of the company can make money, use of virtual reality (VR) gear in the company and his views on augmented reality for the machine operator.

The article reports on the lawsuit filed by Caterpillar Inc. against used equipment dealers over foreign-made excavators bearing the Cat label. As the International Trade Commission prepares to hear the lawsuit, the dealers accused Caterpillar of fraudulent legal maneuvers to control the pre-owned machinery market. Caterpillar filed the lawsuit in August 2007 under Section 337 of the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act of 1930, which protects producers from unfair trade.

The article provides information on Caterpillar's first fuel-consumption guarantee program, called Cat Pays You Back.

New book captures many of the earthmoving giant's iconic machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction vehicles equipped with wireless telematics are now reporting project information with incredible detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on increase in demand of telehandlers with object-detection technology, by construction contractors to minimize work-zone fatalities. It mentions that Balfour Beatty Construction has signed an agreement with construction equipment rental company Sunbelt Rentals for installation of proximity alarms on telehandlers. Also discussed is the construction equipment company Caterpillar's TL1055D telehandler having the PreView rear sensor and camera.

The article reports that Tier-4 Final Emission Controls Push Machine Prices for 2014 are expected to increase as the clean up off-road diesel emissions approaches in the U.S. However, manufacturers claim that the up-front cost of cleaner diesels will be offset by better fuel economy. Caterpillar Inc. launched a line of 2014 machines that meet the Tier-4 Final regulations. Equipment analyst Frank Manfredi explains that price increase will influence people to buy Tier-4 Interim machines.

The article considers construction equipment that is powered by hybrid-electric systems. Hybrid technology can result in a more than 20% price premium over conventional hydraulic gear. Caterpillar Inc. estimates a payback time of between one and two years for a fuel-efficient hybrid excavator it produces that costs 9% more than comparable non-hybrid equipment.

The article discusses the Bauma 2013 Equipment Expo which was held on April 15-21, 2013 in Munich, Germany, including information on the trade show's reportedly record-setting number of attendees who visited exhibits from construction industry equipment companies such as Caterpillar Inc.

The article covers a report from construction equipment information provider EquipmentWatch on auction data from September-November 2012, which found that equipment manufacturer Caterpillar earned 23 percent of the auction market share, ahead of competitors such as Volvo, Bobcat, and Komatsu.

The article discusses a labor agreement that was ratified on August 17, 2012 between a machinists' union and officials at a Joliet, Illinois hydraulic components plant operated by construction equipment company Caterpillar. According to the article, production at the plant continued during the three-month strike with help from a contingency workforce and workers that wanted to continue receiving their paychecks.

The article offers news briefs for the U.S. construction industry as of February 27, 2012. According to McGraw-Hill Construction, total construction starts in 2011 were down slightly. San Francisco, California-based engineer-contractor URS Corp. acquired Calgary, Alberta-based Flint Energy Services Ltd. Construction equipment company Caterpillar Inc. is building a plant in Athens, Georgia.

The article evaluates the CT660 work truck from Caterpillar.

The article focuses on the plan of Caterpillar Inc. to unseat traditional vocational truck manufacturers such as Mack and Kenworth as the company has started shipping the new CT660 work truck. It states that the CT660 truck which includes a leather-wrapped steering wheel and standard features as chrome brightwork is anticipated to be priced competitively with other high-end construction trucks. It says that the heavy-duty work trucks are dominated by Kenworth, Peterbilt, and Mack.

The article focuses on the demand of Foundation for Peace advocacy group to rescind the 2011 Henry C. Turner Prize to honor Caterpillar, Inc. The Middle East peace advocacy group based in the U.S. says that Caterpillar bulldozers were used by the Israel Defense Forces in destroying Palestinian settlements in the Gaza and West Bank where some people died and some were hurt. It also notes that public ceremony for the award on September 14, 2011 was cancelled by the National Building Museum.

The article reports on the Clean Air Act settlement of Caterpillar Inc. with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in August 2011. It says that the settlement includes a recall of hundreds of diesel engines instead of the hundreds of thousands that were previously reported. The author adds that Caterpillar paid the civil penalties but did not admit any wrongdoing. The number of engines without tailpipe controls that were shipped by Caterpillar between 2002 and 2006 is also discussed.

The article evaluates the D7E hybrid dozer from Caterpillar Inc.

The article reports on the plan of Caterpillar Inc. to build another demonstration and learning facility in Panama City, Panama. The global manufacturing industry is forcing companies like Caterpillar to get closer to the customer. The company will invest $25 million over the next five years, sometime in 2009. It also is building one in Kunming, China.

The article discusses how U.S. employers are dealing with the shortage of diesel technicians. Traylor Bros. Inc. has to rely more on the manufacturer warranty and dealer technicians due to its lack of in-house technical capability to maintain equipment. The Association of Equipment Management Professionals started up a scholarship fund to place aspiring mechanics in two-year colleges. Caterpillar Inc. launched a national image campaign to attract talents.

This article reports on the business planning of the construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. The company plans to build a motor grader without a steering wheel. It was believed that Caterpillar would change the controls in redesigning its existing H-Series to meet the latest federal emission requirements. Caterpillar decided to redesign the vehicle's operation instead of updating it with minor improvements.

The article reports that a farmer in Mitchell, South Dakota, who makes paint finish from vegetable oil. Lynn Odland, president of Dakota AG Innovations, said that the company found a way to change oxidized equipment and reactivate its present surface. The alternative to a $3,000 paint job has become the secret weapon of many equipment rental firms, dealers and auctioneers. Since the restorer went on the market in 2002, it attracted enough dealers that Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Illinois, slapped on its own private label called Cat Paint Revive.

This article reports that judging by the heavy technological changes in Caterpillar Corp.'s new T-Series tractors, the next century of tracks is shifting from a slow crawl into high gear. Caterpillar's newest earthmoving machines, unveiled late last month and scheduled to arrive next spring, are designed to be more efficient, productive and serviceable than before. Various updated features include cleaner-burning engines, onboard diagnostic tools, electro-hydraulic controls, GPS earthmoving technology and longer oil-change intervals that keep machines working hard in the field rather than waiting for service. Benjamin Holt mounted wooden tracks on his company's steam-powered engine No. 77 and tested it in 1904 in Stockton, California He sold his first "Caterpillar" tractors in 1906 for $5,500.

The article discusses dispute sparked by Caterpillar Inc. A high-stakes patent game between a retired government scientist and Caterpillar Inc. is threatening the company's "ACERT" engine program, a costly research and development effort aimed at cleaning up diesel emissions on thousands of machines in the years ahead. Former Department of Health and Human Services chemist Clyde C. Bryant recently filed an interpartes re-examination that asks U.S. patent officials to take another look at patents awarded to Cat engineers in 2003 and 2004. Bryant, who is chairman of Entec Engine Corp., an Atlanta-based holding company, received a similar cold-air induction engine patent in 2001.

This year's sharp escalation in steel prices has manufacturers of work trucks and heavy construction equipment keeping a watchful eye on their futures, as of March 22, 2004. The rising cost of steel in the U.S. is cutting into the already-slim profit margins of domestic equipment manufacturers, which often have trouble passing higher production costs along in a very competitive marketplace. The potential cost squeeze is casting a foreboding cloud over an otherwise bright year that promises to be the best since record sales dropped off in mid-2000. Caterpillar Inc. says it is watching the steel market very closely and has a number of efforts under way to contain prices.

Two of the largest equipment manufacturers in the world have terminated a nonbinding agreement to acquire and cross-promote their mining-equipment businesses. In a surprising turn of events, the huge "win-win" deal between Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Illinois and Terex Corp., Westport, Connecticut, fell through early last month. First announced last July, Caterpillar tentatively agreed to sell intellectual property covering its 5000 Series mining shovels to Terex in exchange for Terex's Unit Rig brand electric-drive trucks. Caterpillar would have continued to support, service and distribute the 5000 Series shovels in the field and Terex would have gained much-needed access to Caterpillar dealers for selling and supporting its popular German-made, O&K-brand shovels.

Laser and GPS controls for earthmoving machines have been available for years from after-market suppliers. But partners Caterpillar Inc. and Trimble Navigation Ltd. now are offering a new "AccuGrade" laser system as factory equipment on machines, hoping to generate additional interest from operators looking to boost grading speed by as much as 50%. Caterpillar Inc. and Sunnyvale, California-based Trimble formed a joint venture in mid-2002 and unveiled the $18,000-to- $25,000 dozer option on November 21, 2003.

Reports on the unveiling of environmentally compliant diesel engines by Peoria, Illinois-based Caterpillar Inc. Benefits of the engines; Use of Advanced Combustion Emissions Reduction Technology (ACERT) in the engines; Areas that ACERT targets on engines.