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Caterpillar Celebrates Centennial Anniversary With Mobile Museum, Global Tour

 

 

September 5, 2025 - Bright yellow Caterpillar machines dot construction and mining sites across the world, rendering the manufacturing company one of America’s most recognizable brands. Caterpillar Inc. began 100 years ago when two inventors joined forces to create the Caterpillar Tractor Company in 1925. Co-founder Benjamin Holt was known around the world for inventing the track-type tractor (and some 45 other patents) and co-founder C.L. Best engineered innovative gasoline technology and undercarriage design. The company was named for the way its machines crawled along the turf like a massive caterpillar, an invention that transformed agriculture in America and across the world. 

This year marks the Irving-based company’s centennial anniversary. In celebration, Caterpillar designed a museum on wheels that is traveling the world to show the company’s more than 100,000 employees the history of the brand and its global impact. The physical exhibit carries artifacts of the company’s history, materials that explore future possibilities, and even a bulldozer simulator. The tour kicked off in January, and by the end of the year, the tour will have traveled to more than 130 Caterpillar facilities worldwide.

“We’re proud of reaching our centennial and created this tour to celebrate our employees where they live and work,” said Christy Pambianchi, Caterpillar chief human resources officer. “Every member of our team has contributed to our 100 years, and this mobile celebration not only shows our appreciation — it also builds pride by giving them an opportunity to learn more about their important roles in our history and future. By the end of the tour, we will have visited more than 110,000 employees in 25 countries.” 

The centennial celebration is a deep dive into the company’s history, illuminating the numerous decisions, initiatives and even design components that came together to form the now-iconic brand. Caterpillar Inc. relocated its headquarters to D-FW in 2022 but has had a presence in Texas for decades.The brand has multiple initiatives designed to keep the company and its employees connected to local communities. The Caterpillar Foundation, Caterpillar’s philanthropic organization, focuses its efforts on the regions where Caterpillar employees live and work. This effort began with a simple donation to a local fire station in Illinois back in 1952 and grew to a separate nonprofit entity that has now, more than 70 years later, given more than $1 billion to over 11,000 charities around the world.

 

 

 

Two people holding a large $25,000 donation check from Caterpillar Foundation to Irving...
Christy Pambianchi (right), Caterpillar chief human resources officer, presents a check to Irving Cares at Caterpillar’s Irving headquarters. This year, the Caterpillar Foundation reached a $1 billion milestone in global giving.
Courtesy Caterpillar

 

 

In connection with the Centennial World Tour, the Caterpillar Foundation is donating up to $2 million total across every tour stop across the globe. And at a special centennial event at Caterpillar’s Irving headquarters on August 28, the foundation made another significant contribution — this time to Irving Cares, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to Irving families experiencing financial crises.

“The Caterpillar Foundation is thrilled to announce that we have donated more than $100,000 to several nonprofit organizations across North Texas in connection with Caterpillar’s Centennial World Tour,” said Asha Varghese, president of the Caterpillar Foundation. “The incredible organizations the foundation supported include the North Texas Food Bank, United Way of West Ellis County, CASA of Trinity Valley and Irving Cares — all of which are working tirelessly to help strengthen the Dallas-Fort Worth region. The foundation remains committed to uplifting the communities Caterpillar employees call home.”

Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, but that’s only a piece of the company’s work.

 

Six people smiling and taking a group selfie in front of black and yellow balloons with...

 

In its centennial year, Caterpillar aims to connect thousands of employees across the globe, unifying them toward a shared goal of creating lasting impact.
Courtesy Caterpillar 

 

 

 

The brand’s priorities also include creating autonomous and robotic solutions that improve safety and efficiency across industries, addressing climate change and sustainability concerns, power generation to help solve the world’s ever-growing energy needs and a remanufacturing business where the company takes back older engines and components and updates them to like-new condition, so they often run better and cleaner than before — and at a lower cost than new machines. Caterpillar takes great pride in meeting their customers’ needs with new, innovative products and fuel flexibility.

As the company reflects on the last 100 years and plans for the next, its people are at the center. This global tour connects thousands of employees across all of the company’s business units, unifying them toward a shared goal of creating lasting impact.

“When people think of Caterpillar, they usually think of iconic yellow iron machines at construction worksites or big mining trucks. Some may be surprised to learn that we also have an energy business, and that it’s the largest and fastest-growing part of the company, fueled by the global need for power,” Pambianchi said. “As part of our centennial, we made a $100 million commitment over the next five years to help equip the future workforce — so we’ve already started the work on our next chapter.”