For an unprecedented sixth time, a heavy-duty truck engine from Caterpillar Inc. has received a prestigious award for customer satisfaction in the 2006 Heavy Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Customer Satisfaction Study.

J.D. Power and Associates awarded Caterpillar's C-12 clean power engine its highest levels of customer satisfaction, saying that Caterpillar in particular has done an excellent job in meeting the challenge of the new emission standards by creating its own innovative emission technology, and that their success is clearly evident in how satisfied customers are with their engines.
Caterpillar's C-12 engine received the award in the "Vocational" segment, which includes trucks used in demanding applications such as construction, refuse hauling and utility services. This year's study was based on interviews with 2,529 customers who own two-year-old Class 8 trucks (weighing 33,000 pounds or more). It measures customer satisfaction in four areas of engine performance: engine quality, engine performance, engine cost of ownership and engine warranty.
"The credibility of the J.D. Power and Associates Award is that it is customer-driven, reflecting the feedback and voices of the end-users who rely on Caterpillar's engines," said Jim Parker, Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for the company's Power Systems Marketing Division.
The C-12 utilizes the building blocks of Caterpillar ACERT technology, which is a long-term solution that reduces emissions at the point of combustion without sacrificing engine performance and reliability. A systems approach to emissions reduction, it relies on advanced technologies in four key areas: improved air management, precision combustion technology, advanced engine electronics and a simple after-treatment process.
"This is an exciting time for Caterpillar as we continue to see strong customer acceptance for our engines powered by ACERT technology," said Parker. "ACERT remains the solution for future engines. We currently have 100 engines meeting the even tougher 2007 emission regulations in customer hands today. Caterpillar's extensive and industry leading testing will achieve more than 12 million miles on these evaluation units by mid-October."
The Caterpillar C-15 follows the C-12 in the rankings with strong scores across all customer satisfaction factors. The study examined engines in 2004 model year trucks, the second model year impacted by EPA emissions standards enacted in 2002. Caterpillar has submitted certification documents for all 2007-compliant engines and is fully prepared to begin production.