By connecting physical assets to a digital experience, Cat Digital, the digital and technology arm of Caterpillar Inc., is transforming data into business-changing applications. Akash Jain, Director, Cat Digital India, touches upon the seven ways Cat Digital is helping customers succeed…
Today, we’re living in a world connected in countless ways, with our phones delivering seamless user experiences at the touch of a screen. In a few short minutes, we can use our phones to find exactly what we’re looking to buy, purchase it, and have it delivered to our house tomorrow – in some cases, it can arrive yet today. This is how our world works, and it’s the same world in which Cat customers live. They, too, want a seamless user experience assisted by the latest technology, making their lives and jobs more efficient. By connecting physical assets to a digital experience, Cat Digital, the digital and technology arm of Caterpillar Inc., is transforming data into business-changing applications. It’s exciting. And we’re at the forefront, using an incredibly simple model – it all starts with connecting assets. Next, we import the telematics data from our more than 1.2M connected assets into our digital platform, where we apply advanced analytics and machine learning along with our engineering data to provide customers with value-add services through applications. At Caterpillar, we know our customers and equipment best – and because of this, we’re ideally suited to bridge the gap between the physical iron and the digital world. Our engineers know what’s happening in the field with our assets and can design digital solutions to solve problems. This vertical integration is what sets us apart from our competitors.
Our focus
Every winning team competes using a game plan. At Caterpillar, we’re no different. We’ve identified seven prioritized areas of focus that will help us win in the digital space and where we can make the most impact to support our services growth goals.
• Connectivity: Since year end 2016, we’ve more than doubled the number of our connected assets and currently have more than 1.2M assets connected (Includes discontinued products). Just as importantly, virtually all assets are now connected when delivered to customers, so this number grows every day. More connected assets mean more data. And more data allows us to become even more customer-centric, helping customers improve safety and productivity, minimize downtime, and maximize asset utilization.
• Our Cloud Platform: A single trusted source of data enables us to accelerate our delivery of digital applications and is foundational to providing a world-class digital experience. We call our cloud data platform Cat® Helios, and it is a modern, one-safe source for enterprise, dealer and customer data.
• Service Information: With 2 million service graphics and 1.5 million parts numbers, we’ve digitized the way customers and dealers access service information. We recently completed an upgrade to the most used application at Caterpillar – moving to a cloud based solution and improving content organization so users can quickly find information they need. We’re also launching a new mobile version soon.
• Equipment Management: Our equipment management tools help customers reduce unplanned downtime and increase productivity through visibility into the use and locations of their assets. Customers can also use these tools to purchase parts or make service requests.
• Condition Monitoring: Cat dealers use condition monitoring tools and information to recommend service or maintenance to keep customers’ equipment running in optimal condition. Because of our dealers’ vast proprietary equipment and industry experience, no one is better positioned to be a trusted advisor monitoring the health of our customers’ assets – even those with mixed fleets.
• Lead & Opportunity Management: We’re using digital information to prioritize, recommend and provide customers with the right solution at the right time. The result is better service for our customers, increasing productivity and reducing unplanned downtime.
• eCommerce & Digital Retail: Our goal is to deliver best-in class online digital interactions and eCommerce self-service opportunities. We know that customers expect us to be even easier to do business with, and we’re making significant investments in multiple eCommerce solutions for both large and small customers.
Connectivity is connected! And so is Caterpillar. Each of our focus areas was identified for good reason – they are critical components that enable our future success and are key to improved customer service. But when we put it all together, the real magic happens. Cat Digital focus areas, just like the Caterpillar team itself, are interdependent. Each component is part of a system that delivers intelligent iron – cementing Caterpillar as an industry-leading innovator while helping our customers build a better world.
There may never have been a more exciting time at Caterpillar. With some of the industry’s brightest minds on board and our leadership committed to investing in game changing technology, our future looks very bright.
We can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
https://www.caterpillar.com/en/careers/career-areas/digital.html