Simply put, Caterpillar is running out of the alphabet.
Because of this, Cat is dropping the letter modifier that for so long announced a new generation of Cat products and replacing it with a “Build Number.” This Build Number will not be in the model name that appears on the side of the machine. It will, however, be spelled out on the Product Information Number plate on the machine, and in Caterpillar’s internal and external communications.
Caterpillar is easing into this new system with its 745 articulated truck, announced at ConExpo, and will gradually switch each product line to the new nomenclature as it receives a generational update.
Under Cat’s former nomenclature system, for example, the former 745C would have become the 745D. Instead, the new artic reads “745” on the machine’s side with no letter designation, and the model is known through internal and external communications as the 745 (Build 04), with the “04” representing the fourth generation of the machine.