The US company will highlight its latest products, services and technologies on a 6,500m2 outdoor demonstration arena. The Operator Stadium in the Expo's Festival Lot will be central to the massive display.
Visitors will find new and current models and battery-electric machine prototypes. The extensive Cat equipment display in the Festival Lot includes more than 30 machines, including model unveilings and battery-electric model prototypes with charging stations. Visitors will see two main equipment demonstrations each day; one focused on the latest Cat Technology and one that will spotlight the company's full equipment lineup.
The new Cat 950 medium wheeled loader on display offers performance and simple-to-use technologies to boost operator efficiency, increase productivity, and extend service intervals. Visitors will be treated to a preview of the Next Generation Cat 926, 930 and 938 small wheeled loaders that feature new technologies, a reimagined operator environment and extended service intervals.
With its compact size, exceptional mobility and easy transport, the Cat AP455 Mobil-trac asphalt paver offers great features for both large and small contractors when paving urban streets, parking lots and rural roads. For paving contractors, the half-lane Cat PM822 cold planer features integrated Cat Grade technology and the latest System K rotor options that deliver performance, productivity and cutting precision. Furthermore, a new three-dimensional screed plate with a modular fastening system improves mat density and smoothness while reducing screed plate change time by up to 80%.
Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems Division will exhibit in booth S84329 in the South Hall a wide and rapidly growing portfolio of high-efficiency Cat industrial power solutions. The exhibit includes the unveiling of a new high-power internal combustion engine, as well as the leading-edge lithium-ion battery technologies under development. Engines on display, such as the C3.6 IPU, C7.1 and C9.3B, meet Stage V and Tier 4 Final emission standards and are compatible with biodiesel up to B20 and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to EN15940.
Caterpillar offers a range of service options that are easy, convenient, flexible and sustainable. The new Cat Central app is the latest tool for access to genuine Cat parts and support. Another new service-related solution is the new Cat SIS2GO app which helps with maintaining, troubleshooting and repairing Cat equipment. Both apps are available on Windows, iOS and Android platforms.
Team members from Cat Financial will be available to discuss the latest leasing and financing programs, including Cat Card and extended protection packages to help secure customers' investments.
The Caterpillar Technology Hub in the Festival Lot will offer attendees the ability to experience a range of new and existing Cat technologies – VisionLink, Cat Command, VisionLink Productivity, Cat Detect, Cat Grade and Cat Payload. Caterpillar SMEs will be on hand to assist each customer in finding a scalable solution designed to fit the business's needs and budget.
The hub's multiple Cat Command stations allow attendees to remotely operate Cat machines located more than 640km away at the Tinaja Hills Demonstration and Learning Center. One of the Command stations allows visitors to try the "Strike Pay Dirt Challenge," where participants remotely control an excavator to win a prize.
The Caterpillar Sustainability Hub in the Festival Lot will spotlight fuel efficiency and alternative power sources, technologies to fit every operation and budget, and parts and services designed to make uptime fast and easy.
Outside the Sustainability Hub, exhibit attendees can view components of Caterpillar's total site solution for the energy transition, including four battery-electric machine prototypes – the Cat 301.9 mini excavator, 320 medium excavator, 950 GC medium wheel loader and 906 compact wheel loader – in addition to AC and DC charging solutions. The Caterpillar-designed batteries powering these battery-electric machines are built on lithium-ion Cat technology with a modular design that offers flexible configurations across multiple applications.
More than 10,000 operators representing more than 32 countries registered to compete in the 2022-2023 Global Operator Challenge. From 3,500 participants in the first round of local competitions to 84 advancing to the regional semifinals, nine of the world's best equipment operators will demonstrate their advanced skill, precision and stamina in hopes of being named the Global Operator Challenge Champion.
The nine finalists competing in Operator Stadium at ConExpo are:
Pontus Eriksson, representing Zeppelin Sweden
Sebastian Behr, representing Zeppelin Germany
Łukasz Mokrzyński, representing Bergerat Monnoyeur Poland
John Schiedeck, representing Holt Cat (Texas, USA)
Matt Ferris, representing Empire Cat (Arizona, USA)
Fernando do Nascimento, representing PESA (Brazil)
Masato Imai, representing Nippon Caterpillar (Japan)
Patrick Doheny, representing William Adams (Australia)
Nick Thompson, representing CavPower (Australia)
The finals kick off on Tuesday morning, March 14, following the Expo's grand opening ceremonies. Throughout the competition, the finalists' skills will be tested in three identical challenges – excavating, loading, and hauling/manoeuvring the equipment through various obstacles.
The Finals will also be broadcast live on cat.com. More information on the finalists can be found at www.cat.com/operatorchallenge, and for more details about the Cat CONEXPO-CON/AGG experience, visit https://www.cat.com/en_US/campaigns/event/conexpo-2023.html.
