Caterpillar wins J D Power awards

Feb. 22, 2002
Caterpillar, Mossville IL, has announced that its heavy-duty on-highway diesel engines have received two awards from J D Power and Associates, the Highest

Caterpillar, Mossville IL, has announced that its heavy-duty on-highway diesel engines have received two awards from J D Power and Associates, the Highest Customer Satisfaction Heavy-Duty Over the Road Engine and Highest Customer Satisfaction Heavy-Duty Vocational Engine. Caterpillar also received these two awards in 2000.

The awards were given based on the results of J D Power and Associates 2001 Heavy-Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Customer Satisfaction Study, an annual survey that measures customer satisfaction with product quality and performance. The study, which was based on interviews with more than 2,800 owners of Class 8 trucks, evaluates several performance criteria, including engine performance and quality, warranty, noise and fuel economy. Engine life which encompasses durability, reliability and length of warranty was the most important factor, accounting for more than half of the total impact on overall customer satisfaction. In addition to the overall satisfaction measurement, the Cat 3406E was ranked highest in five individual engine satisfaction measures.

The study also measures satisfaction in six different customer segments, including owner operators, fleet managers, over-the-road drivers, pickup and delivery operations, and vocational customers.

Vocational customers rated the 3406E significantly above the segment average, expressing particular satisfaction with engine life, performance, downtime, and noise. The C-12 closely followed the 3406E, ranked second in customer satisfaction among vocational customers, and it lead the rankings on fuel economy. Over-the-road customers also rated Cat engines significantly higher than average on four of five satisfaction measures, with exceptional strength in engine performance, where it outperformed all other engines on factors measuring its ability to climb hills and acceleration when fully loaded.