{"data":{"news":{"items":[{"title":"Conexpo: Caterpillar to hold its largest exhibit and Global Operator Challenge Finals","date":"2023-02-08 09:00:50","id":4410,"author":"","blurb":"","blurb_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2023/02/1675655349409_Operator Stadium rendering 2.jpg","blurb_expanded_image_uid":null,"article":"\n\t\n\n\n

The stage is set for Caterpillar’s largest exhibit to date at Conexpo 2023 – where the company will highlight its latest products, services and technologies while paying tribute to those who build the world’s infrastructure. The company’s 70,000 sq ft (6,500 sq m) outdoor demonstration arena will anchor the massive display known as Operator Stadium located in the expo’s Festival Lot.

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The extensive Cat equipment display will comprise more than 30 machines. Among them is the new Cat 950 medium wheel loader, which offers premium performance and simple-to-use technologies to help boost operator efficiency and increase productivity, while extended service intervals help lower maintenance costs. There will be a preview of the Next Generation Cat 926, 930 and 938 small wheel loaders – slated for production in late 2023 – which feature new technologies designed to make work easier, a reimagined operator environment and extended service intervals.

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For paving contractors, the half-lane Cat PM822 cold planer features integrated Cat Grade technology and the latest System K rotor options that deliver performance, productivity and cutting precision. With its compact size, exceptional mobility and easy transport, the Cat AP455 Mobil-trac asphalt paver offers great features for both large and small contactors when paving urban streets, parking lots and rural roads. Furthermore, an exciting new market disrupting three-dimensional screed plate with modular fastening system improves mat density and smoothness, while reducing screed plate change time up to 80%.

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Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems Division in the South Hall will exhibit a wide range of high-efficiency Cat industrial power solutions. These include the unveiling of a new high-power internal combustion engine, as well as the leading-edge lithium-ion battery technologies under development.

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Services, Technology and Sustainability Hubs

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The Services Hub will have Caterpillar subject matter experts (SME) who will help guide visitors through several maintenance options for Cat equipment. Customer Value Agreement (CVA) options offer easy ownership plans customised to fit a customer’s business needs to extend equipment life and maximise the investment.

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Cat Certified Rebuild programmes return end-of-life machines, systems and components to like-new condition. Cat Reman products bring new life to assets with like-new performance at a fraction of the cost of buying new. Cat Self-Service Options deliver convenient, simple parts ordering and machine repair support for those who prefer to do their own service. Team members from Cat Financial will also be available.

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The Technology Hub will provide visitors with the opportunity to experience various new and existing Cat technologies – VisionLink, Cat Command, VisionLink Productivity, Cat Detect, Cat Grade and Cat Payload. Its centrepiece exhibit, the ‘Looking Glass’ cube, displays and interactively showcases the five key capabilities of the new Cat VisionLink application – Geofence & Location, Fuel Theft Alerts, Diagnostics, Idle Time/Fuel Burn, and Maintenance.

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The Sustainability Hub will spotlight fuel efficiency and alternative power sources; technologies to fit every operation and budget; and parts and service designed to make uptime fast and easy. Plus, customers will learn about sustainability benefits they can choose today and plan for tomorrow.

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Outside the Sustainability Hub, visitors can view components of Caterpillar’s total site solution for the energy transition, including four battery-electric machine prototypes – the Cat 301.9 mini excavator, 320 medium excavator, 950 GC medium wheel loader and 906 compact wheel loader – in addition to AC and DC charging solutions. The Caterpillar-designed batteries powering these electric machines are built on lithium-ion Cat technology with a modular design that provides flexible configurations across multiple applications.

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Global Operator Challenge

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More than 10,000 operators representing more than 32 countries around the world registered to compete in the 2022-2023 Global Operator Challenge. From 3,500 participants in the first round of local competitions to 84 advancing to the regional semi-finals, nine of the world’s best equipment operators (three of whom are from Asia Pacific) will demonstrate their advanced skill, precision and stamina in hopes of being named the Global Operator Challenge Champion.

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The finals will kick off on Tuesday morning, 14 March, immediately following the expo’s grand opening ceremonies. Throughout the competition, the skills of the finalists will be put to the test in three identical challenges – excavating, loading, and hauling/manoeuvring the equipment through a variety of obstacles. The champion is set to be crowned on the afternoon of the same day.

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Conexpo booth: F.9127 / S.84329

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Caterpillar invites machine operators around the globe “to take on the world” in the 2022/2023 Global Operator Challenge. The competition tests the skills and precision of equipment operators as they prove their excellence in operating Cat machinery and their ability to master any piece of construction equipment safely and efficiently.

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“More than 80 Cat dealers will host local, one-of-a-kind competitions, celebrating equipment operators and enabling them to showcase their exceptional skills in fun and dynamic ways,” said Tony Fassino, group president for Construction Industries group at Caterpillar Inc.

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“Whether their expertise lies in digging a trench, moving aggregates, or managing demolition, our Global Operator Challenge will be demanding for even the most experienced operators. We can’t wait to see what they can do with our machines.”

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Sixty-seven Cat dealers hosted local competitions in the 2019/2020 challenge, and operators from 30 countries participated. The 2022/2023 competition will be Caterpillar’s largest construction industry event of its kind, planned to take place in nearly 40 countries and incorporate a wider range of construction machines.

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Calling all operators

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The first round of the Global Operator Challenge consists of local qualifiers, hosted by Cat dealers starting in March and running through September 2022. To make this year’s competition even more challenging, Caterpillar has added the requirement that every event must feature three different challenges on three separate pieces of equipment. Therefore, operators must master a broad assortment of equipment to qualify for the next round.

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Those who qualify in the local dealer events will then move onto regional semi-final competitions in October 2022. Nine finalists will emerge from the regional semifinals and participate in the global finals competition in Caterpillar’s outdoor Festival Grounds exhibit F4455 during the Conexpo-Con/Agg trade show in Las Vegas, the US, in March 2023. The winner of the competition will receive an all-expense-paid trip for two to one Caterpillar facility worldwide.

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Commenting on being crowned the 2019/2020 Global Operator Challenge champion, Jaus Neigum, owner of Industrial Backhoe Ltd in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, said, “I’ve been operating Cat machines for more than 15 years. Having the opportunity to demonstrate my skills and compete against peers from around the world was one of the most rewarding experiences in my career.

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“If you’re an operator of heavy equipment, this is a contest you don’t want to miss. And if you’re a business owner like me and my partners, I encourage you to put forward your best operators, because this competition is going to be even bigger and better than the last one.”

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During each portion of the Global Operator Challenge, participants execute a variety of tasks, such as digging a trench, loading a precise amount of dirt, and hauling or manoeuvring the equipment through a variety of obstacles. Scoring is based on the operator’s skills, efficiency, as well as his or her competence in using integrated technology to enhance the machine’s performance.

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Cat next generation machines will allow these operators to take advantage of available technologies to complete the challenges, such as Cat Payload, Grade and Command. Other features like Cat Grade Assist, rear-view cameras, return to dig and return to carry will also help the operators in completing the challenges.

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For more information or to express interest in joining the competition, visit the website.

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Having won the competition in their respective home countries, the 30 contestants from Southeast Asia (consisting of Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand), China and Japan battled it out once again at the Global Operator Challenge Asia Pacific Finals. The event took place between 19 and 21 November 2019 at the Chichibu D-Tech Centre in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It saw over 200 people in attendance, including customers, dealers, media and Caterpillar personnel, while over 1.2 million people watched the live broadcast of the China competition online alone.

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After three days of intensive competition on the 320 and 336 Next Generation Cat excavators, the 950M Z medium wheel loader, the 308 Next Generation mini excavator, the contestants proved their mettle and stood up to the challenges that tested their operational agility, mental toughness, and skills in using integrated technologies to enhance machine performance.

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“I had the privilege of assessing operators from Southeast Asia, China and Japan in the Global Operator Challenge Asia Pacific Finals. The competitive spirit of the operators was very apparent. With so much at stake, the contestants showed their determination to win by taking the challenges very seriously,” said Carl Thomsen, Caterpillar’s senior product demonstrator instructor, who was at Chichibu to judge and score the Asia Pacific Finals. “All I can say is, look out Las Vegas, because we are sending three very determined professional operators your way!”

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The three winners of the Global Operator Challenge Asia Pacific Finals are: Wilfren Jimenez from Luzon, the Philippines; Congxin Xu from Jiangsu Province, China; and Hiroyuki Harada from Niigata Prefecture, Japan. They will now form the ‘dream team’ to represent Asia Pacific at the Global Operator Challenge Finals in Las Vegas during Conexpo-Con/Agg in March 2020, where they will pit their skills against the other contestants from North and South America, and Europe.

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“This is the first time that the challenge has gone global to include the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific,” said John Fallows, Caterpillar’s general manager of sales and marketing for Asia Pacific and China. “We hope this global event can go a long way in helping tackle the talent shortage of skilled operators around the world, including in China, by promoting the cultivation of highly skilled technical talent and attracting more people to join this industry.”

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For more information on the Asia Pacific finalists, click here.

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