Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/816123
EquipmentWorld.com | May 2017 11 reporter | by Marcia Gruver Doyle | MGruver@randallreilly.com S imply put, Caterpillar is running out of the alphabet. Because of this, Cat is dropping the letter modi- fier that for so long announced a new genera- tion of products, and it is replacing it with a "Build Number." This Build Number will not be in the model name that appears on the side of the machine. It will, however, be spelled out on the Product Information Number plate on the machine, and in Caterpillar's internal and external communications. Caterpillar is easing into this new system with its 745 articulated truck, announced at ConExpo, and will gradually switch each product line to the new nomen- clature as it receives a generational update. Under Cat's former nomenclature system, for exam- ple, the former 745C would have become the 745D. Instead, the new artic reads "745" on the machine's side with no letter designation, and the model is known through internal and external communications as the 745 (Build 04), with the "04" representing the fourth generation of the machine. One exception to the new no-letter system will be Cat's dozers, which will continue with their current E, K, N and T letter designations (more on that later). Major shift Understanding that this represents a major shift in product presentation, Cat's Ed Stembridge, market professional and product identity manager, talked with Equipment World about the details of the new nomen- clature. "We've historically only used 15 letters out of the alphabet to indicate product series, and we're run- ning out of them on some of our products," says Stembridge. In addition, product development curves are accelerating, making it apparent that "we needed to come up with a new way of tracking the series of our products." Cat did not want to start over with the alphabet since it has many legacy parts in its support system. Instead, Cat is opting to drop the letter (except in dozers) and will just use the model number as the primary identifier on the side of the machine. But in internal and external communications, it will refer to the machine with the Build Number in parenthesis. Stembridge emphasizes that the Build Number is not the model year, but rather the product generation. As such, unlike the former letter-based system, it's more Aiming for a future-proof system, Cat changes machine nomenclature