Richard Hornsby and Sons Ltd. patented a tracked tractor in 1904, but due to little commercial interest at the time, sold the patent to Benjamin Holt in 1911. The prototypes were nicknamed ‘The Caterpillar’ by it’s movement along the ground. Holt formed the Holt Caterpillar Company later the Caterpillar Tractor Co. in 1925. Over the years Caterpillar has acquired many smaller firms to aid it’s development and expansion such as Perkins engines which was acquired by Caterpillar in 1998 and Bucyrus in 2011 at a cost of $8.8bn

It is currently the world’s largest construction equipment manufacturer with many of it’s own engine designs and branded parts