Top mining equipment manufacturer, Caterpillar, is already beginning to see an upturn in the mining economy at least and is gearing up to meet it.
Al Frese, Solutions and Product Support Manager of Caterpillar's Global Mining Division notes that the company is "starting to see the upturn" and at the same time continues to stress sustainability. He says Global Mining is "seeing benefits from things Caterpillar put in place" since the credit crunch hit the world. He went on to say that "though there's still a great deal of economic uncertainty in the world, mined materials will remain essential to support a growing global population." Cat is very focused on being ready for the upturn. "We have realigned our entire company, creating a simpler, more efficient, more customer-focused and more market-driven structure. We're getting our processes ready for the up-cycle too, starting in our factories, where we're continuing to deploy the Caterpillar Production System (CPS).
"To make sure we're ready for the upturn, we've teamed up with a group of mining companies and dealers to fine-tune our forecasting processes and systems." Some of the information coming from those mining companies has given insights into future parts requirements. The company has also been working with its suppliers to cut manufacturing costs. CPS has also delivered tremendous safety benefits in Cat's plants....MORE
