Caterpillar Set the Stage for CONEXPO-CON/AGG Supershow

American construction machinery giant Caterpillar will have their largest exhibit to date at ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 14-18.

Appearing in their own ‘back yard’ Caterpillar will highlight its latest products, services and technologies to visitors attending the triennial North American machinery fest. The focal point will once again be the 70,000 ft2 (6,500 m2) outdoor demonstration arena, known as the Operator Stadium located at ConExpo-Con/Agg's Festival Lot.

A massive display of the latest Cat equipment will also be present at the Festival Lot with over 30 machines on stand, including new model reveals, and battery-electric powered prototypes with charging stations, similar, one would imagine, to the examples we saw during the Bauma Trade Fair in Munich.

Caterpillar tell us that there will be two main equipment demonstrations each day; with one being dedicated to the latest in Cat Technology, and one spotlighting the company’s full equipment line up.

The new Cat 950 medium wheel loader will also be on display, and is said to offer premium performance and simple-to-use technologies to help boost operator efficiency and increase productivity, while extended service intervals will help to lower maintenance costs. Visitors will also be treated to 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.

With particular interest to the operator community visiting the show, Caterpillar will be ‘Celebrating the Operator’ with the Global Operator Challenge Final taking place in the arena.

More than 10,000 operators representing more than 32 countries around the world registered to compete in the 2022-2023 competition.

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 will demonstrate their advanced skill, precision and stamina in hopes of being named the Global Operator Challenge Champion.

The nine finalists competing in Operator Stadium at ConExpo are:

Pontus Eriksson, representing Zeppelin Sweden

Sebastian Behr, representing Zeppelin Germany

Łukasz Mokrzyński, representing Bergerat Monnoyeur Poland

John Schiedeck, representing Holt Cat (Texas, USA)

Matt Ferris, representing Empire Cat (Arizona, USA)

Fernando do Nascimento​, representing PESA (Brazil)

Masato Imai, representing Nippon Caterpillar (Japan)

Patrick Doheny, representing William Adams (Australia)

Nick Thompson, representing CavPower (Australia)

The finals kick off on Tuesday morning, March 14, 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/maneuvering the equipment through a variety of obstacles. The champion is set to be crowned on the afternoon of March 14.

For those who cannot make it to the show in person, the Finals will also be broadcast live on cat.com. More information on the finalists can be found at www.cat.com/operatorchallenge.

For a taste of the Cat Global Operator Challenge, check out the video below featuring the North American Regional Finals.