Caterpillar Inc. Global Financial Prospectus, 2010 a Capstone Project

Caterpillar Inc.

Global Financial Prospectus, 2010

A financial and qualitative leader in product and services in the heavy equipment industry, Caterpillar has been an expert in construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines for over 80 years. Outperformance of stated goals is consistent to Caterpillar's brand identity and expert financial outcomes in its manufacturer industry class. Subsidiaries Cat Financial, Caterpillar Logistics Services Inc., and Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services and Progress Rail Services Corporation contribute to the conglomerates total financial picture. Caterpillar's long-term global operations strategy, Vision 2020 articulates priorities in acquisition and investment in new wholly owned subsidiaries abroad.

Public notice of reported annual sales and revenues totaled $51.324 billion. Caterpillar is also a global leader in exports in its competitive manufactured categories. Analysis of the Company's strategic market prospectus for the forthcoming three years in direct sales will be increasingly reliant upon its international network of independent dealers. Caterpillar's business developments suffered in response to the conditions of the 2008 global economic crisis, when fiscal results to its manufacturer operations and services were materially affected. The cycle of volatility actually commenced in 2007 which had significant impact on the company's overall profitability. Although strong sales were seen in the first three quarters, deterioration of the investment market profit per share in final quarter was driven by a 28% ($1.08) decline in performance.

Comparative increase in sales at the close of the fourth quarter of that year at $12.293 billion, or $779 million was destabilized by a total profit from total annual earnings $314 billion, a decrease from the prior annual results.Since that period, Caterpillar's financial results have felt significant impact from higher manufacturing costs. Full cost pricing derived from higher material and freight costs input, and manufacturing inefficiencies offer rationale for price point absorption. Subsidiary performance has also seen negative affects financial services industry performance, brokerage services for property, casualty, life and health insurance, and financial products.

In 2009, Caterpillar instituted a 'trough plan' to shore up the corporation's multi-scale challenges. Due to the continued uneven global conditions and key commodity prices, the company enacted the strategy as a method of mitigating risk in the face of major fluctuations both within the financial market, and in national economies globally. Continuance of Caterpillar's strategic financial plan is outlined in core fiscal objectives, cited in Table 1.

Table 1

Significant compensatory reduction of executive management benefits

Voluntary and involuntary employee layoffs

Hiring freezes and suspension of salary increases

Reduction in indirect expenses by 15%

Table 1. Caterpillar's financial planning strategy, 2009 (Caterpillar, 2010).

Caterpillar's audited financial statement 2008, offer core insights into the planned expansion of certain product segments and national markets within the scope of financial controller priorities and scheduled implementation of budgetary allocations to key expenditures going forward. In the interim, Caterpillar's has trimmed expectations in overall sales performance, and enacted a series of restrictions to spending where productivity is evidenced to be low to static. The five (5) point tertiary plan is addressed in Table 2.

Table 2

1. Significant reduction in capital expenditures

2. Sharp declines in overtime work

3. Shortened workweeks at some locations

4. Shift.....