The field narrows in the Cat Global Operator Challenge

More than 10,000 operators around the world registered to compete in the Global Operator Challenge this year

Contestants are are being weeded out as Caterpillar’s regional semifinals of its Global Operator Challenge continue this month.

At the start of October, a total of 84 of the best equipment operators in the world began competing for nine spots in the global finals to be held during CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 in Las Vegas this March.

The challenge tests the skills and precision of equipment operators as they prove their excellence in operating Cat equipment and technology, along with their ability to master any piece of construction machinery safely and efficiently.

“More than 10,000 operators around the world registered to compete in the Global Operator Challenge this year,” said Jessica Nunley, global marketing manager for Caterpillar. “After dealer qualification, 3,500 machine operators competed in the first round, and 84 of those have advanced to compete in one of our regional semifinal events held this month in Spain, the U.S., Japan and Brazil.”

Meet the regional finalists

“These operators come from many different industries, and each have their preferred piece of equipment to operate, but they have one thing in common. They are leaders in their field and can apply their operating skills to a range of equipment,” said Matt Smith, global marketing manager for Caterpillar. “The dealers did a great job turning out the best operators, and now Caterpillar will put them to the test at our demonstration centers around the world.”

Follow these links below for more details on the regional semifinalists:

North America Regional Semifinalists

Europe Regional Semifinalists

Asia Pacific Regional Semifinalists

South America Regional Semifinalists – Spanish, Portuguese

Dig into the competition

During each portion of the Global Operator Challenge, participants execute a variety of tasks, such as digging a trench, loading a precise amount of dirt, and hauling or maneuvering the equipment through a variety of obstacles. Scoring is based on the operator’s skills, efficiency, as well as his or her competence in using integrated technology to enhance the machine’s performance.

“Because this is a global competition, we want to make certain that spectators all over the world can follow along with the action,” Nunley said. “We will be posting live competition updates and sharing the operator’s machine expertise on our regional social media pages during every challenge.”

Spectators can follow all the action during the competitions using these regional social media pages:

North America regional semifinal

Two finalists – one each from the East and West – will advance to the global final.

Follow along at facebook.com/CatConstructionTrades

Europe regional semifinal

Three finalists from Europe will move on to the global final.

Follow along at facebook.com/CatConstructionEMEA

South America regional semifinal

One finalist from South America will move on to the global final as the third representative from the Americas.

Competition to be held in Piracicaba, Brazil on October 29.

Follow along at facebook.com/CatConstruccion

Asia Pacific regional semifinal

Three finalists from Asia will move on to the global final.

Follow along at facebook.com/CatConstructionAU

Nine finalists will emerge from these regional semifinals and participate in the global finals competition in Caterpillar’s outdoor Festival Grounds exhibit F4455 during CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, March 14-18, 2023. The winner of the competition will receive an all-expense-paid trip for two to one Caterpillar location worldwide.

Stay tuned for more about the Caterpillar Global Operator Challenge.