Cat and Wacker Neuson in 20 year mini digger deal Wacker Neuson and Caterpillar have signed an agreement which sees the Austrian company developing and building mini excavators up to 3t exclusively for Caterpillar. The 20 year agreement will see a new range of excavators designed and built to Caterpillar's specifications at Wacker Neuson's plant in Linz by mid 2011. Currently Cat has three models of 3t and below but the new range will consist of up to seven machines, starting from 800kg, and will be clearly differentiated from comparable Wacker Neuson models (pictured). The machines will be exported to Cat's dealers world wide with the exception of Japan. The move could double mini digger output at the Linz plant and will bring savings through economies of scale in the manufacturing and development process.
Unusual pairing!! If it makes CAT mini's more competitively priced then it will be for the better!!
You scared me with that title Stock
Doesn't Gehl and Mustang rebrand Neuson mini excavators?
wow..they are hiring now some of automotive great designer...
The cab on that mini-ex looks like Mork from Ork's Spaceship. Looks like Cat is going after the smaller end of the market to round out its excavator product line. For Cat's sake I hope they have a better design for the new mini cabs.
I believe so. Or the other way around.
So you would rather have the square box design, long as it works and you have good visibility and air con and a radio..........
You have to wonder why, CM. I was talking to a small contractor the other day, who has a Cat tracked skidsteer. He was talking to the owner of the Cat dealership here and he told him point blank, that they really weren't interest in the small stuff, because they were making much more money out of the mining equipment. We had the same thing with Liebherr, made a big song and dance about their wheel loaders etc., as soon as the mining boom hit, management couldn't give two hoots about the small stuff. There were no parts in Australia, everything was two weeks out of Germany and they just weren't interested in our problems. RnR.
We'll that's the whole point, cat is not interested in designing small stuff and thus buys a ready made product and paints it yellow. What Cat HQ decide and what the local dealer wants is not always the same thing, Cat is in the business of providing a complete line up of construction machines to their dealers, if a dealer decides they don't want the little stuff that is their decision. Things, I imagine, would be different in Europe, where the small stuff is most likely a big chunk of the Cat dealers income.
Actually I would rather not have a cab on a mini at all. I have a Bobcat 334 and for what I use it for a cab would be a hindrance. In tight quarters with laborers around, an open cab mini is a safer machine IMO. Now I am sure other folks love their cabs on their mini's and it works well for them, just not for me. As far as the looks of that mini, it's one only a mother could love... Yeah it does RnR. I guess Cat is trying to diversify into as many markets and niches as possible. Now they have safety training and an auction house. With economic times such as these, it's probably a smart move on their part.
I think your right about that CM. Cat would be smart just doing all things necessary to keep in business as ultimately this is good for all divisions of the company. And it may be that Cat is not interested in producing the smaller stuff, hire it out, and build the stuff they know to build...the big stuff. Maybe the same reason they have JLG build their telehandler forklift.
I don't have anything on my machines either because of access issues, we'll I got tired of putting the ROPS on and off to suit different jobs, so now it sits in the garden until I get my shed finished. Sure when it's hot or raining I wish I had a cab but that's the curse of the small excavation segment. That ex does look..........modern........but I can see the advantage of the rounded cab for giving extra vision up high.
looks like part of a carnival ride