Caterpillar is celebrating its 100-year anniversary — a century marked by groundbreaking innovation, engineering excellence, and unwavering industry leadership.
It’s a milestone worth celebrating. And its inspiration to continue their legacy of empowering people to build a better world in the next century.
The First 100 Years
Over the last century Caterpillar has grown with their customers. They’ve changed together as the world has changed: creating, building, problem-solving, innovating, testing, servicing and improving.
Caterpillar Showroom in Building HH, East Peoria, Illinois, ca. 1933.
Caterpillar Diesel Sixty engine, fourth off the line, powering a portable gravel washing and gold reclaiming machine.
History of Cat Power
Caterpillar recognized the strong potential of the engine business from the very beginning. But it wasn’t until the introduction of the Caterpillar diesel engine that the company’s power business took off.
At the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (later renamed The World’s Fair) in 1915, Caterpillar senior leaders viewed large stationary diesel engines and recognized the potential. The company soon began developing its own diesel engines to replace gas counterparts in the company’s tractors and selling broadly to OEMs for use in power generation, industrial settings, and marine and other applications.
At the time, diesel fuel was about half the cost of gasoline. Since industrial applications often required engines to run around the clock, the savings were significant. In addition, diesel engines have other advantages, including increased power, durability and fuel economy. The result? In 1931, we completed the first diesel production model, and by 1937, we were the world’s largest producer of diesel engines.
It’s a leadership position that Caterpillar retains today.
Old Betsy
The D9900 proto-type was nicknamed “Old Betsy,” and was Caterpillar first, hand-built diesel engine. The D9900 ushered in a new era of Caterpillar power solutions, diversifying the company’s customer base and opening avenues for growth. More than fifty years ago, “Old Betsy” was donated to the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History and is deemed to be of significant historical importance.
The Next 100 Years
As Caterpillar embarks on its next 100 years, they’re ready to face the future with the same values, dedication, and creativity that have been driven by for a century. Caterpillar credit their customers and dealers as instrumental in their success. They remain committed to turning challenges into opportunities, continuous innovation, and meeting the world’s needs because they know the work is never done.
