Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/933470
EquipmentWorld.com | January 2018 23 Cat's legal woes In March, Caterpillar's Peoria, Illinois, corporate head- quarters were raided by federal law enforcement of- fi cials as part of an investigation into the company's tax strategy. The suit alleges the company avoided paying more than $2 billion in taxes by moving select profi ts to offshore shell companies located in Switzerland and Bermuda. If that weren't enough, the company is also under investigation by the International Trade Commission after German equipment maker Wirtgen (newly acquired by John Deere) fi led a patent infringement complaint against Cat in August. Wirtgen alleges that Cat's road milling machines violate its patents. In November, Cat fi red back with a patent infringement complaint against Wirtgen concerning the same equipment. NOVEMBER AB Volvo enters U.S. securitization market for fi rst time, funding credit for U.S. dealerships AUGUST United Rentals buys Neff and Cummins' mobile generator fl eet Billed as a "half telescopic handler/half skid steer," JCB's Teleskid turned eyes at ConExpo and has created orders ever since, according to JCB. The machine – which also comes in a compact track loader version – can reach up to 13 feet, 3 inches and is the only skid steer that can dig below its chas- sis to a depth of 3 feet, says the company. Case Construction Equipment showed off its concept DL450 at the show, billed as a "compact dozer loader," combining a compact track loader (CTL) with a dozer. The core feature of the DL450 is a C-frame dozer interface that pins directly into the machine chassis; it can be unpinned and disconnected like an attach- ment, turning the machine back into a standard CTL. Machine blends create show buzz Chevy returns to medium-duty market General Motors announced that the Chevy-branded medium-duty work trucks it has been developing in partnership with Navistar will be called the Silverado 4500 and Silverado 5500. The Silvera- dos represent GM's versions of the Class 4 and 5 vehicles. } } And in the meantime… The American Society of Civil Engineers released its 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, and as a nation, we continued to get a solid overall D. The story that wasn't For many, 2017 was going to be a year focused on America's crumbling roads and bridges, with a new president in the White House who had pledged on the campaign trail a $3 trillion infrastructure plan. The Trump administration did not present a plan to Congress, and is still struggling to come up with ways to pay for it. Congress didn't seem to mind the lack of a plan, as it spent the year mired in other issues, such as Obamacare, immigration, tax reform, the Russia investigation and claims of sexual harassment. New market entries • JCB entered the aerial lift market with 27 new machines, including scissor lifts, ar- ticulating booms and telescopic booms. • Cat partnered with Textron Specialized Vehicles to offer three UTV models.