In 1984, Caterpillar, Eder and Zeppelin Baumaschinen, the Cat dealer in Germany, introduced a new wheeled excavator line, offering four models under the Cat Eder brand. Eight years later, the line became a 100% Cat product with a designated wheel excavator team. Twenty-eight years later, in 2012, Caterpillar celebrated production of its 25,000th wheel excavator. This year, Caterpillar announces production of its 50,000th wheeled excavator, a Cat M318 Next Gen model, adding another 25,000 units to the total in just 11 years.