The name change solely affects the legal entity, the established MWM brand is being continued. This step underscores MWM's belonging to the global company Caterpillar.

Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. Two years ago, MWM, the well-established Mannheim company founded by Carl Benz in 1871, became an integral part of Caterpillar.

Over the past two years, Caterpillar turned the Mannheim location into its global Gas Center of Excellence. This included the modernization of machinery and facilities and hiring of new skilled employees. The number of staff grew from 1,278 to 1,388.

Caterpillar Energy Solutions GmbH is pursuing a two-brand strategy: MWM and Cat. The yellow Cat power generation sets (gensets) will continue to be distributed through the worldwide Cat dealer network, and the blue MWM units will continue to be sold in the market directly and via the existing MWM international distributor network. These two sales channels are completed by the Service division that handles maintenance of the gensets and supplies customers with original manufacturer's parts.

"Engines made in Mannheim are regarded worldwide as being very reliable and efficient products for decentralized energy production. That is why the MWM brand benefits to the Caterpillar product portfolio", said Willy Schumacher, CEO of MWM GmbH. "The name change underscores the fact that the integration of MWM involves a strategic commitment by Caterpillar, which is geared for long-term success", Schumacher added.

"Caterpillar is a worldwide supplier of quality products. Over decades, MWM has developed unique expert knowledge in the development of highly-efficient engines. This legacy of Carl Benz has found a worthy new home at our global company. As part of Caterpillar, we believe there is a bright future in store for the Mannheim company", said Caterpillar Vice President Bill Rohner.

„Caterpillar ist weltweit ein Anbieter von Qualitätsprodukten. MWM hat über Jahrzehnte ein einmaliges Fachwissen in der Entwicklung von hocheffizienten Motoren aufgebaut. Dieses Erbe von Carl Benz ist heute in unserem globalen Unternehmen sehr gut aufgehoben. Wir glauben, dass dem Mannheimer Unternehmen als Teil von Caterpillar eine große Zukunft bevorsteht“, sagte Caterpillar Vice President Bill Rohner.

Source: MWM GmbH