Caterpillar

Transporting Caterpillar Employees Into the Next Century

As Caterpillar approached its 100th year in 2025, its leaders knew that whatever they were going to plan needed to revolve around the company’s most important assets: its people. But how do you connect more than 112,000 employees around the world in nearly every time zone? You take the centennial on tour. Caterpillar partnered with History Factory to develop the milestone’s overall strategy and plan, and the world tour was one of the anchor programs that was approved and implemented. 

Using a fleet of four expandable 44- and 53-foot trailers as our canvas, the History Factory team worked with Caterpillar to help identify formative and inspiring moments from its past century of progress and tell its stories in a way that would help employees develop a sense of connection to where the business is headed tomorrow.

The First 100 Years—AR Experience

The experience began before visitors even stepped into each trailer. Outside, real Caterpillar machinery was displayed alongside pillars that brought attendees through the company’s first 100 years of history with an immersive AR experience. Caterpillar enthusiasts were able to get up close and personal with artifacts in person and via 3D digital renderings, enabling them to see the Caterpillar story from new perspectives.

The Caterpillar Impact

As visitors entered the 700-square-foot trailer, the many faces of Caterpillar’s past and present invited them into the company’s next century of innovation. Five different exhibit areas shared how the company’s work in power, infrastructure, digital connectivity, sustainability and workplace safety has changed the world for the better. Physical artifacts such as “moon boots” and original artwork made from upcycled Caterpillar parts, alongside embedded touchscreen monitors with selectable video content, engaged visitors in the story. 

Trace Your Impact

Interactive kiosks near the exit invited employees and enthusiasts to trace the unique personal impact they have had on the world through their association with Caterpillar. This “Trace Your Impact” experience showed users their areas of greatest geographic and industrial influence. Visitors were invited to enter their email addresses so they could receive digital postcards with their results—a lasting reminder of their place in Caterpillar’s “Web of Impact.”

Step Into the Next 100 Years

A fully immersive exit experience used video, audio, lighting and scenery to transport visitors onto imagined job sites and into manufacturing facilities of the future—on this planet and beyond. The scenarios on display spoke to the endless possibilities of the next century: By 2050, an urban transportation job site in São Paulo might utilize Caterpillar next-generation electric wheel loaders and leverage 3D printers to produce generator sets on-site in real time. In 100 years, Caterpillar might be breaking ground on a new research and communications site on Mars.

Hard Work Pays Off

The tour kicked off in January 2025 at the start of the centennial year and ended at CONEXPO-CON/AGG in March 2026. The results—including high engagement levels, an energized workforce and a renewed sense of purpose for the next 100 years—were astounding:

• More than 139 destinations visited across the U.S., Mexico, Europe, Australia and Asia (with content translated into 18 languages)
• More than 103,000 visitors
• A 95% positive sentiment average from tour visitors
• More than 510,000 pieces of centennial merchandise purchased by employees over the course of the year
• Almost $2 million in donations from Caterpillar to local charities
• More than 350 media centennial features—equivalent to 250 million impressions

Behind the Scenes

To date, the road show has won:

• A Gold REGGIE Award for Best Employee Brand Engagement at the ANA REGGIE Brand Catalyst Awards
• A Gold Stevie Award for Best Roadshow at the 24th Annual American Business Awards®
• A Gold Award for “Best Mobile Marketing Vehicle” at Event Marketer’s 2025 Experience Design Awards
• Silver Finalist for Best Production of an Event B-to-B at the Ex Awards by Event Marketer
• “Best Team Building Activity” at the 13th annual Bizbash Event Experience Awards

Perhaps the highest honor the employee-focused project has received, though, is the Caterpillar Excellence Award, Caterpillar’s most sought-after internal recognition.

With a successful centennial celebration under their belts, Caterpillar’s people are energized and ready to make the company’s next century of innovation better than its first.

“WOW! A huge and sincere thank you to each and every one of you and your teams for the amazing hard work. The vision for the next one hundred years energized the group on the possibilities of the next 100 years. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we realize none of this would be possible without each one of you!!!”

J. Archie Lyons IV, Caterpillar senior market professional, creative director and Centennial World Tour co-lead

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