Caterpillar looks to the future where AI and the yellow iron come closer together

As Caterpillar moves into the next centenary with a focus on ‘reshaping what’s possible’, the yellow iron it’s famous for continues to evolve. But it’s what’s now sitting behind it that is changing the way customers will use it, as Herwig explained.

 “When I talk to customers, the key pain points are always the same. safety, people, skills and productivity. The order might change, but it’s always those four.”

“But what’s different now is how those challenges are being addressed. Technology is no longer an add-on. It’s becoming the key operating layer for customers.

“Because of this, we’re increasing our investment in technology significantly over the next five years as we’re convinced it will be at the heart of improving productivity and simplifying how our customers work.

“This spans everything from AI to autonomy, but not in the way the industry often thinks about it. When we talk about autonomy, it’s not just full autonomy. It’s task based functions where machines will be able to perform specific actions that support the operator.

“By expanding the information available through platforms like VisionLink and VisionLink Productivity, there’s an opportunity to unlock more from machines already on site today.

“For example, we first started our roll out of next generation machines with a lot of technology in 2017. Today we still see customers not yet fully utilising some of these key features, so there’s a big opportunity to help them bring those benefits to their jobsite.”

“How to do this has been the key driver of our investment in the introduction of the Cat AI Assistant, for the first time at Conexpo. It’s aimed at simplifying how operators and fleet managers interact with machines and data.

“Put simply, we can bring the AI assistant into the cab. Instead of navigating menus, the operator can use their voice to ask the machine directly. In the future, the machine will also make suggestions based on what it sees and learns about the work being carried out.

“A good example of this will be to suggest using functions like grade assist or trench assist, helping operators avoid rework and improve productivity. We have already seen how this can shorten the learning curve for a novice operator and make technology easier to adopt.

“But none of this works without the right infrastructure behind it, and this is why we have announced new partnerships for the future. This includes working with NVIDIA to deliver the computing power needed both on the machine and in the cloud.

“This dual approach is important as you need computing power in the machine for real-time functions, but also connectivity to the cloud for broader insights.

Similarly, we have recognised that equipment fleets don’t operate in isolation, so our collaboration with Geotab will now allow customers to bring on and off highway assets into a single view.”

Alongside AI and digital technologies, Caterpillar continues to focus on the people and skills needed in the sector with a $100m investment in workforce development. This goes alongside initiatives like the Global Operator Challenge and the first Global Technician Challenge finals held at Conexpo.

Herwig: “The shortage of skilled technicians is a global issue. We need to attract the next generation and show them the career opportunities in this industry. AI will not eliminate jobs. It will make people more valuable, more efficient, and help them get up to speed faster.”

“And with over a million connected assets globally, there is a lot of data we now have access to. This means we can make relevant insights available for specific roles, whether that’s the owner, site manager, operator or technician.”

It’s clear that the combination of AI, technology on and off machine, and the support for developing skills and people will be a critical part of the next 100 years for Caterpillar. And supporting the yellow iron to operate more efficiently and productively, whilst keeping people safe, will continue to be the ultimate goal for the business.