Short-Term/Long-Term Goals
Caterpillar’s development-related endeavors are inseparable from goals that it sets and updates on a regular basis. Its short-term goals are concerned with improving career opportunities for the underserved categories of employees. For instance, as per its 2022 report, the company plans to further solidify its diversity-oriented workforce growth and implement the five-part Diversity & Inclusion framework into operations (Caterpillar Inc., 2022). Caterpillar Inc. (2022) also expresses the determination to continue implementing inclusivity-emphasizing leadership education programs at the earliest juncture. The company’s long-term goals refer to pursuing a greater degree of sustainability in operations within the next eight years. By 2030, Caterpillar Inc. (n.d.a) seeks to achieve a 50% reduction in landfill volume use, a 50% reduction in workplace injury rates, and a 30% reduction in the total production of greenhouse gases. Thus, the corporation’s aspirations for the future relate to adapting to inclusion and sustainability trends.
Evaluation of Recent Mergers/Acquisitions
Two recent acquisitions/mergers include acquiring the Weir Group’s Oil & Gas division and purchasing Marble Robot’s assets to merge with its autonomy technology team. The Marble Robot deal finalized in 2020 has expanded Caterpillar’s organizational purposes by adding the instrumentalization of robotics and AI in the scaling of autonomous projects to the corporation’s goals (Fabiano, 2020). The impacts on the corporation’s performance include success in developing and testing robotic machines, including two new models of industrial loaders and mining trucks (Robotics Tomorrow Staff, 2022). The Weir Group deal completed in 2021 has altered Caterpillar’s goals by adding the successful operation of the recently created SPM Oil/Gas department to the corporation’s scope of work (Kenny, 2021). The acquisition has positively contributed to the corporation’s performance in designing efficient solutions for oil/gas companies by deriving benefits from Weir’s pressure pumping/control technology (Caterpillar Inc., n.d.c). Thus, both transactions have turned out to be beneficial for Caterpillar.
The Key Merger/Acquisition
Based on its effects on Caterpillar’s revenues and goals, the Bucyrus deal can be called the most influential and success-promoting acquisition. The corporation acquired Bucyrus International, a giant in mining equipment manufacturing, in the fourth quarter of 2010 (Kelleher & Malone, 2010). The transaction’s positive impacts on Caterpillar’s financial performance were incredibly high. For instance, for seven consecutive financial quarters after the transaction, Caterpillar had the largest revenues in its history for the past ten years. Specifically, the revenues peaked at $17,243 billion in Q4 2011 and then at $17,374 billion in Q2 2012 (Macrotrends Staff, n.d.). The deal’s impacts on successful goal completion were tremendous; for instance, it weakened competition from Joy Global, a mining equipment manufacturer, and diversified Caterpillar’s offer in mining solutions (Kelleher & Malone, 2010). In particular, the acquisition added large-sized mining equipment to Caterpillar’s product portfolio (Kelleher & Malone, 2010). Thus, it contributed to the corporation’s market expansion goals peculiar to mining.
Global Strategy and Its Effectiveness
In the global context, the corporation’s strategy can be defined as transnational. The key utilization example is having centralized business operations in Texas and transferring additional R&D assets, dealer sites, and services outside of the U.S. to serve clients in 25 countries (Caterpillar Inc., n.d.b). Additionally, the U.S.-based manufacturing network incorporates facilities in Georgia, Illinois, California, and Arkansas that address the company’s global sales objectives (Caterpillar Inc., n.d.b). Based on market leadership trends for 2021, Caterpillar’s strategy is effective as the company remains the only heavy construction equipment company with more than 13% of the global market (Morningstar Staff, 2022). The corporation manages over 2,500 branches of its global distribution network effectively (Morningstar Staff, 2022). With that in mind, its global strategy deserves a positive assessment.
References
Caterpillar Inc. (2022). 2022 global diversity & inclusion report: Harnessing the power of everyone. Web.
Caterpillar Inc. (n.d.a). 2030 sustainability goals. Web.
Caterpillar Inc. (n.d.b). Global locations. Web.
Caterpillar Inc. (n.d.c). SPM Oil & Gas. Web.
Fabiano, M. (2020). Caterpillar digs into robotics. Medium. Web.
Kelleher, J. B., & Malone, S. (2010). Caterpillar buying Bucyrus in big bet on mining. Reuters. Web.
Kenny, K. (2021). Caterpillar acquires Weir Oil & Gas, launches SPM Oil & Gas. Caterpillar. Web.
Macrotrends Staff. (n.d.). Caterpillar revenue 2010-2022: CAT. Macrotrends. Web.
Morningstar Staff. (2022). Caterpillar Inc CAT. Morningstar. Web.
Robotics Tomorrow Staff. (2022). With the power of autonomous iron, Caterpillar pulls off the ultimate trick shot in CAT Trial 12: No Hands. Robotics Tomorrow. Web.