What it does: Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives.
Mission: Our company strategy reflects our legacy and our continuing commitment to meeting the needs of our customers and the communities in which we live and work.
Size and presence: Caterpillar does business on every continent, principally operating through three primary segments – Construction Industries, Resource Industries, and Energy & Transportation – and providing financing and related services through our Financial Products segment.
Best known for: We are a leader and proudly have the largest global presence in the industries we serve.
The good bits: Good Pay Master for a Mainframe developer.
The not-so-good bits: Not a lot of support from upper management.
The most significant engineering innovation attributed to Benjamin Holt, one of our founders, was the invention of the first commercially successful track-type tractor – today’s dozer. This invention not only became one of our cornerstone products, but its development also led to the name we have today: Caterpillar.
Ever the inventor, Holt was always looking for ways to improve his company’s products, which at the time included combined harvesters and wheeled steam tractors. Holt’s main market was agricultural fields around the San Joaquin River Valley in Northern California, and the area’s geography made it difficult to prepare for crops, as the heavy steam tractors would get stuck in the soggy peat soil. After some research, Holt instructed his mechanics to remove the rear wheels from a Holt steam tractor and replace them with a pair of tracks he had designed. On Thanksgiving Day in 1904, this tracked machine, known as No.77, was given its first field test and performed admirably.
No.77 was tested again with an improved set of tracks in March of 1905. During this run, Benjamin and his nephew Pliny took the company photographer, Charlie Clements, out to the field to take photographs of the machine. When they got there, Clements was a little confused at first, as he did not see any wheels on the machine…yet it was moving. Clements saw the motion of the track undulating between the drive sprocket and the front idler wheel and exclaimed that the machine crawled like a big "Caterpillar.” Clements described the fateful day he first used the name that would be synonymous with earthmoving equipment for decades to come:
Nearing the Holt Ranch, we perceived a steam tractor in the distance. Benjamin Holt stated - "They are not running." Noticing the absence of the big side wheels, I said - "They are broken down," at which Pliny Holt turned around, looked at me, and laughed, but said nothing. Suddenly I noticed that the outfit was moving along, but did not say anything, thinking that the engine was on board a barge going through some canal, seemingly hidden by the heavy crop of wheat barley … suddenly it came around between us and the crop of barley, and for a moment I was dumbstruck with amazement. Jumping to my feet I exclaimed aloud - "If that doesn’t look like a monster caterpillar." Benjamin reddened at the remark and smilingly asked - "What makes you think that?" I answered - "Why, even a child could make no mistake. Just watch the undulating movement as it creeps along.”
Other names were considered before the company landed on Caterpillar. It was said that Benjamin Holt didn’t like the name Caterpillar at all! Originally, the machines were often referenced as “mud turtles,” in addition to:
Pliny and others in the Holt family helped persuade Benjamin that “Caterpillar” was the logical choice. Eventually, the name stuck, and in 1909 the first Holt tractor to wear the Caterpillar name crawled off the assembly line. In 1910 Holt registered the name “Caterpillar” as a trademark with the U.S. Patent Office. And in 1925, when Holt and Best merged to form their new tractor company, they used the name so familiar to people around the world: Caterpillar. The Caterpillar Tractor Company is today known as Caterpillar Inc., and the rest, as they say, is history.
At Caterpillar, we believe each person is unique and valued, and are committed to ensuring that our workplace is diverse and representative of the many customers we serve around the globe. Different perspectives help us achieve our best work and come together to form a high-performing Caterpillar team that makes positive changes in the communities where we live and work. That’s the Power of Everyone.
We strive to celebrate and empower the people who do what it takes to move our world forward no matter their gender, appearance, or background. We will call out the opportunity to eliminate gender bias in the industries we serve; because there is a future generation of world builders eager to learn and to drive our businesses forward – and they should have every reason to believe that anyone can do any job with the right amount of passion, dedication, and expertise.
At Caterpillar, you build what matters—whether it’s the career you want, crucial work skills, strong relationships, or new digital technologies. There are big jobs to be done worldwide—building critical infrastructure, bolstering local economies, and meeting the energy demand—and that work is powered by our people.
Every single Caterpillar employee moves our company forward. Piece by piece, part by part, person by person. Together we create sustainable, world-changing solutions that impact lives around the globe. Join our winning team and help build a better world.
⛔ Bonus annual leave
✅ Bonus parental leave
✅ Unpaid extended leave
✅ Permanent employee
✅ Signing bonus
✅ Annual bonus
⛔ Stock options
⛔ Full remote work
✅ Partial remote work
✅ Flexible working hours
⛔ Child care
✅ Free gym
⛔ Pet-friendly office
✅ Mental health days
✅ Hospital
✅ Outpatient
✅ Dental
✅ Maternity
⛔ Free breakfast
⛔ Free lunch
✅ Free tea & coffee
✅ Free snacks
⛔Free dinner
Caterpillar has a long-standing commitment to sustainability, one of our five Values in Action. It is part of who we are and what we do. It inspires us to help our customers build a better world through products and services that help fulfill society’s basic needs – such as shelter, clean water, education, and reliable energy – in a sustainable way.
We are committed to further reducing Caterpillar’s greenhouse gas emissions while helping our customers meet their climate-related objectives. We are supporting our customers during the energy transition to a lower-carbon future through investments in new products, technologies and
services.