Caterpillar plans to make EquipmentManager and Product Link standard on most of its new core, mining and industrial machines, especially on machines in the Canadian and U.S. markets. EquipmentManager is a Web-based application that combines indicators from machines with tools like maintenance scheduling and mapping to provide information about events that require attention. Product Link uses satellite technology to link information from on-board systems to EquipmentManager. Together, these programs will allow managers to efficiently regulate their fleets.
Wheeled hydraulic excavators and articulated trucks will be the first pieces of machinery equipped with the new systems. Caterpillar will phase in the remaining machines, which will come standard with Product Link, during 2008. A three-year subscription to Asset Watch, the remote asset management part of EquipmentManager, will also accompany these machines.
