General   Originally organized as Caterpillar Tractor Co. in 1925 in the State of California, our company was reorganized as Caterpillar Inc. in 1986 in the State of Delaware.  As used herein, the term “Caterpillar,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or “the company” refers to Caterpillar Inc. and its subsidiaries unless designated or identified otherwise.   Overview   With 2012 sales and revenues of $65.875 billion, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives.  The company is also a leading services provider through Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation (Cat Financial), Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services and Progress Rail Services Corporation (Progress Rail).  Caterpillar is also a leading U.S. exporter.  Through a global network of independent dealers and direct sales of certain products, Caterpillar builds long-term relationships with customers around the world.   In 2010, we announced a revised strategy and reorganization of our business into strategic business units.  Currently, we have five operating segments, of which four are reportable segments and are described below.  Further information about our reportable segments, including geographic information, appears in Note 22 — “Segment information” of Exhibit 13.   Categories of Business Organization   1.               Machinery and Power Systems — Represents the aggregate total of Construction Industries, Resource Industries, Power Systems and All Other segments and related corporate items and eliminations.   2.               Financial Products — Primarily includes the company’s Financial Products Segment.  This category includes Cat Financial, Caterpillar Insurance Holdings Inc. (Cat Insurance) and their respective subsidiaries.   Other information about our operations in 2012, including certain risks associated with our operations, is incorporated by reference from our “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Exhibit 13.   Construction Industries   Our Construction Industries segment is primarily responsible for supporting customers using machinery in infrastructure and building construction applications.  The majority of machine sales in this segment are made in the heavy construction, general construction, mining and quarry and aggregates markets.  After a strong start for our sales of construction machinery in 2012, uncertainties in the global economy had a moderating impact on customer demand. Dealer deliveries to end users were higher compared with 2011, but dealers began reducing their inventory in the second half of 2012 to align their inventory with end-user demand. As a result, our sales of construction machinery declined slightly when compared with 2011. Although our sales were higher in North America, lower sales in other regions, including Asia/Pacific, more than offset these increases. Customer demand for construction machinery has generally been characterized over the past decade by a shift from developed to developing economies.  Customers in developing economies often prioritize purchase price in making their investment decisions, while customers in developed economies generally weigh productivity and other performance criteria that contribute to lower lifetime owning and operating costs of a machine.  In response to increased demand in developing economies, Caterpillar has developed differentiated product offerings that target customers in those markets, including our SEM brand machines.  We believe that these customer-driven product innovations enable us to compete more effectively in developing economies. In those developed economies that are subject to diesel engine emission requirements, we continued our multi-year roll out of products designed to meet those requirements. We believe that these products have been well-received by our customers and are providing us a competitive advantage.   In response to customer demand and our expectations for industry growth, we announced significant investment programs in 2010 and 2011 to increase our production of construction machinery, especially in the United States, Brazil and Asia.  These investments are designed to better align our regional production capacity with customer demand.  In August 2012, we began production of hydraulic excavators at a new facility in Victoria, Texas that will triple our U.S. production capacity for these machines when operating at full capacity.  In light of global economic uncertainty and lower customer demand, we slowed 1 Table of Contents other capacity increases and reduced production rates at several facilities. We also conducted targeted marketing programs to reduce inventory in certain markets, including China.    The competitive environment for construction machinery is characterized by some global competitors and many regional and specialized local competitors.  Examples of global competitors include Komatsu Ltd., Volvo Construction Equipment (part of the Volvo Group), CNH Global N.V., Deere & Co., Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., J.C. Bamford Ltd., Doosan Infracore Co., Ltd. and Hyundai.  As an example of regional and local competitors, our competitors in China also include LiuGong Machinery Co., Ltd., Longking Group, Sany Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., XiaGong Machinery Co. Ltd., XCMG Group, The Shandong Heavy Industry Group Co., Ltd. (Shantui Construction Machinery Co., Ltd., Strong Construction Machinery Co., Ltd., and Shandong JCM Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.), and Shandong Lingong Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. (part of Volvo Group). Each of these companies has varying product lines that compete with Caterpillar products, and each has varying degrees of regional focus.   The Construction Industries product portfolio includes the following machines and related parts:   Resource Industries   The Resource Industries segment is primarily responsible for supporting customers using machinery in mine and quarry applications.  It also serves forestry, paving, tunneling, industrial and waste customers.  Our Resource Industries business was transformed by the acquisition of Bucyrus International, Inc. (Bucyrus) in July 2011, and now offers mining customers the broadest product range in the industry.  We subsequently announced our intention to transition the Bucyrus distribution business to the independent Caterpillar dealers who support mining customers.  We made significant progress integrating Bucyrus in 2012 and are working closely with our dealers to transition the distribution business, with twelve dealer transactions completed during the year.   Over the past two years, we have added capacity for mining products to better align production with expected demand. As a result of the increase in production capability, coupled with our existing mining order backlog, sales in 2012 were higher than 2011. However, in the second half of the year slow global growth and commodity prices that were off their 2012 highs resulted in some reductions, delays and cancellation of orders for mining products. We have continued our announced investments in new facilities and the expansion of existing facilities to increase capacity, but slowed the pace of these investments.  We also completed the acquisition of ERA Mining Machinery Limited, including its wholly-owned subsidiary Zhengzhou Siwei Mechanical & Electrical Manufacturing Co., Ltd (Siwei), to pursue opportunities in the Chinese mid-tier market. Our investments reflect our belief that long-term trends of urbanization and related infrastructure development will support continued long-term mining industry growth.   The competitive environment for Resource Industries consists of a few larger global competitors that compete in several of the markets that we serve and a substantial number of smaller companies that compete in a more limited range of products and/or applications or in regional markets.  Our global competitors include Komatsu Ltd., Joy Global Inc., Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd., Volvo Construction Equipment (part of Volvo Group), Atlas Copco, Wirtgen and Deere & Co. A number of Chinese companies are active in the mid-tier market, including Beijing Shougang Construction Group Co., Ltd., Chery Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., LiuGong Machinery Co., Ltd., Sany Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., XCMG Group and Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group Co., Ltd.   2 Table of Contents The Resource Industries product portfolio includes the following machines and related parts:     Power Systems   Our Power Systems segment is primarily responsible for supporting customers using reciprocating engines, turbines and related parts across industries serving electric power, industrial, petroleum and marine applications as well as rail-related businesses.  Power Systems sales increased globally in 2012, driven by increased customer demand, and included a full year of sales by MWM Holding GmbH (MWM).   The Power Systems portfolio includes:   As in our other segments, customer demand for most Power Systems products and services has increased significantly in the developing world, and we have made investments to increase our production in line with regional demand.  In 2012, we opened a new Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. (EMD) manufacturing facility in Sete Lagoas, Brazil.  In October 2011 we acquired MWM, a leading supplier of natural gas and alternative-fuel engines, in response to increasing customer demand for sustainable power alternatives.  While sales of engines and turbines for petroleum applications increased in 2012, along with sales of our rail products and services, these increases were partially offset by lower sales for industrial and electric power generation, excluding MWM. In response to lower sales in certain markets, we announced reductions in our workforce at certain facilities. Power Systems remains focused on increasing its product offerings and further integrating its products and services to provide complete systems and solutions to its customers.   Regulatory emissions standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and similar standards in other developed economies have required us to make significant investments in research and development that will continue as new products are phased in over the next several years.  This new product introduction process is the most extensive in the company’s history.  We believe that our emissions technology provides a competitive advantage in connection with emissions standards compliance and performance.   The competitive environment for reciprocating engines in marine, petroleum, construction, industrial, agriculture and electric power generation systems along with turbines consists of a few larger global competitors that compete in a variety of markets that Caterpillar serves, and a substantial number of smaller companies that compete in a limited-size product range, geographic region and/or application.  Principal global competitors include Cummins Inc., Tognum AG, GE Oil & Gas, GE Power & Water, Deutz AG and Wartsila Corp.  Other competitors, such as MAN Diesel & Turbo SE, Siemens Energy, Rolls Royce Group plc, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Volvo Penta (part of Volvo Group), Weichai Power Co., Ltd., Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited and other emerging market competitors compete in certain markets in which Caterpillar competes. An additional set of competitors, including Generac Power Systems, Inc., Kohler Co., and others, are packagers who source engines and/or other components from domestic and international suppliers and market products regionally and internationally through a variety of distribution channels.  In rail-related businesses, our global competitors include GE Transportation, Vossloh AG, Siemens AG and Alstom Transport.  We also compete with other companies on a more limited range of products, services and/or geographic regions.   3 Table of Contents Financial Products Segment   The business of our Financial Products segment is primarily conducted by Cat Financial, a wholly owned finance subsidiary of Caterpillar.  Cat Financial’s primary business is to provide retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar products to customers and dealers around the world.  Retail financing is primarily comprised of the financing of Caterpillar equipment, machinery and engines. Cat Financial also provides financing for vehicles, power generation facilities and marine vessels that, in most cases, incorporate Caterpillar products. In addition to retail financing, Cat Financial provides wholesale financing to Caterpillar dealers and purchases short-term receivables from Caterpillar and its subsidiaries. The various financing plans offered by Cat Financial are primarily designed to increase the opportunity for sales of Caterpillar products and generate financing income for Cat Financial.  A significant portion of Cat Financial’s activities is conducted in North America.  However, Cat Financial has additional offices and subsidiaries in Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America.   For over 30 years, Cat Financial has been providing financing in the various markets in which it participates, contributing to its knowledge of asset values, industry trends, product structuring and customer needs.   In certain instances, Cat Financial’s operations are subject to supervision and regulation by state, federal and various foreign governmental authorities, and may be subject to various laws and judicial and administrative decisions imposing requirements and restrictions which, among other things, (i) regulate credit granting activities and the administration of loans, (ii) establish maximum interest rates, finance charges and other charges, (iii) require disclosures to customers and investors, (iv) govern secured transactions, (v) set collection, foreclosure, repossession and other trade practices and (vi) regulate the use and reporting of information related to a borrower’s credit experience.  Cat Financial’s ability to comply with these and other governmental and legal requirements and restrictions affects its operations. Cat Financial’s retail leases and installment sale contracts (totaling 50 percent*) include:     Cat Financial’s wholesale notes receivable, finance leases and installment sale contracts (totaling 15 percent*) include:     Cat Financial’s retail notes receivables (35 percent*) include:     _________________________________ *Indicates the percentage of Cat Financial’s total portfolio at December 31, 2012.  We define total portfolio as total finance receivables (net of unearned income and allowance for credit losses) plus equipment on operating leases, less accumulated depreciation. For more information on the above and Cat Financial’s concentration of credit risk, please refer to Note 6 — “Cat Financial Financing Activities” of Exhibit 13.   Cat Financial operates in a highly competitive environment, with financing for users of Caterpillar equipment available through a variety of sources, principally commercial banks and finance and leasing companies. Cat Financial’s competitors include Wells Fargo Equipment Finance Inc., General Electric Capital Corporation and various other banks and finance companies.  In 4 Table of Contents addition, many of our manufacturing competitors own financial subsidiaries such as Volvo Financial Services, Komatsu Financial L.P. and John Deere Capital Corporation that utilize below-market interest rate programs (funded by the manufacturer) to assist machine sales.  Caterpillar and Cat Financial work together to provide a broad array of financial merchandising programs around the world to meet these competitive offers.   Cat Financial’s financial results are largely dependent upon the ability of Caterpillar dealers to sell equipment and customers’ willingness to enter into financing or leasing agreements.  It is also affected by, among other things, the availability of funds from its financing sources, general economic conditions such as inflation and market interest rates and its cost of funds relative to its competitors.   Cat Financial has a “match funding” policy that addresses interest rate risk by aligning the interest rate profile (fixed rate or floating rate) of its debt portfolio with the interest rate profile of its receivables portfolio (loans and leases with customers and dealers) within predetermined ranges on an ongoing basis.  In connection with that policy, Cat Financial issues debt with a similar interest rate profile to its receivables, and also uses interest rate swap agreements to manage its interest rate risk exposure to interest rate changes and in some cases to lower its cost of borrowed funds.  For more information regarding match funding, please see Note 3 — “Derivative financial instruments and risk management” of Exhibit 13.  See also the risk factors on pages 9 through 18 for general risks associated with our financial products business included in Item 1A. of this Form 10-K. In managing foreign currency risk for Cat Financial’s operations, the objective is to minimize earnings volatility resulting from conversion and the remeasurement of net foreign currency balance sheet positions, and future transactions denominated in foreign currencies.  This policy allows the use of foreign currency forward, option and cross currency contracts to offset the risk of currency mismatch between the receivable and debt portfolios, and exchange rate risk associated with future transactions denominated in foreign currencies.  Substantially all such foreign currency forward, option and cross currency contracts are undesignated.   Cat Financial provides financing only when certain criteria are met. Credit decisions are based on, among other factors, the customer’s credit history, financial strength and intended use of equipment.  Cat Financial typically maintains a security interest in retail-financed equipment and requires physical damage insurance coverage on financed equipment.  Cat Financial finances a significant portion of Caterpillar dealers’ sales and inventory of Caterpillar equipment throughout the world.  Cat Financial’s competitive position is improved by marketing programs offered in conjunction with Caterpillar and/or Caterpillar dealers.  Under these programs, Caterpillar, or the dealer, funds an amount at the outset of the transaction, which Cat Financial then recognizes as revenue over the term of the financing.  We believe that these marketing programs provide Cat Financial a significant competitive advantage in financing Caterpillar products.   Caterpillar Insurance Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Insurance Holdings Inc., is a U.S. insurance company domiciled in Missouri and primarily regulated by the Missouri Department of Insurance.  Caterpillar Insurance Company is licensed to conduct property and casualty insurance business in 50 states and the District of Columbia and, as such, is also regulated in those jurisdictions.  The State of Missouri acts as the lead regulatory authority and monitors Caterpillar Insurance Company’s financial status to ensure that it is in compliance with minimum solvency requirements, as well as other financial ratios prescribed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.  Caterpillar Insurance Company is also licensed to conduct insurance business through a branch in Zurich, Switzerland and, as such, is regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority.   Caterpillar Life Insurance Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar, is a U.S. insurance company domiciled in Missouri and primarily regulated by the Missouri Department of Insurance.  Caterpillar Life Insurance Company is licensed to conduct life and accident and health insurance business in 26 states and the District of Columbia and, as such, is also regulated in those jurisdictions. The State of Missouri acts as the lead regulatory authority and it monitors the financial status to ensure that it is in compliance with minimum solvency requirements, as well as other financial ratios prescribed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.  Caterpillar Life Insurance Company provides stop loss insurance protection to a Missouri Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association (VEBA) trust used to fund medical claims of salaried retirees of Caterpillar under the VEBA.   Caterpillar Insurance Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Insurance Holdings Inc., is a captive insurance company domiciled in Bermuda and regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority.  Caterpillar Insurance Co. Ltd. is a Class 2 insurer (as defined by the Bermuda Insurance Amendment Act of 1995), which primarily insures its parent and affiliates. The Bermuda Monetary Authority requires an Annual Financial Filing for purposes of monitoring compliance with solvency requirements.   Caterpillar Product Services Corporation (CPSC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar, is a warranty company domiciled 5 Table of Contents in Missouri.  CPSC previously conducted a machine extended service contract program in Germany and France by providing machine extended warranty reimbursement protection to dealers in Germany and France. The program was discontinued effective January 1, 2013, though CPSC continues to provide extended warranty reimbursement protection under existing contracts.   Caterpillar Insurance Services Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Insurance Holdings Inc., is a Tennessee insurance brokerage company licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  It provides brokerage services for all property and casualty and life and health lines of business.   Caterpillar’s insurance group provides protection for claims under the following programs:    Acquisitions   Information related to acquisitions appears in Note 23 — “Acquisitions” of Exhibit 13.   Competitive Environment   Caterpillar products and product support services are sold worldwide into a variety of highly competitive markets.  In all markets, we compete on the basis of product performance, customer service, quality and price.  From time to time, the intensity of competition results in price discounting in a particular industry or region.  Such price discounting puts pressure on margins and can negatively impact operating profit. Outside the United States, certain of our competitors enjoy competitive advantages inherent to operating in their home countries or regions.   Raw Materials and Component Products   We source our raw materials and manufactured components from suppliers both domestically and internationally. These purchases include unformed materials and rough and finished parts.  Unformed materials include a variety of steel products, which are then cut or formed to shape and machined in our facilities. Rough parts include various sized steel and iron castings and forgings, which are machined to final specification levels inside our facilities. Finished parts are ready to assemble components, which are made either to Caterpillar specifications or to the supplier developed specifications.  We machine and assemble some of the components used in our machines, engines and power generation units and to support our after-market dealer parts sales. We also purchase various goods and services used in production, logistics, offices and product development processes.  We maintain global strategic sourcing models to meet our global facilities’ production needs while building long-term supplier relationships and leveraging enterprise spend.  We expect our suppliers to maintain, at all times, industry-leading levels of quality and the ability to timely deliver raw materials and component products for our machine and engine products.  We use a variety of agreements with suppliers to protect our intellectual property and processes to monitor and mitigate risks of the supply base causing a business disruption.  The risks monitored include supplier financial viability, the ability to increase or decrease production levels, business continuity, quality and delivery.   Order Backlog   The dollar amount of backlog believed to be firm was approximately $19.6 billion, $29.8 billion and $18.7 billion at December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The total backlog decline occurred in Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Power Systems, with the most significant decrease in Resource Industries. Although dealer deliveries to end 6 Table of Contents users were higher compared to 2011, Cat dealers lowered their order rates well below end-user demand to reduce their inventories. In 2011, order backlog increased by approximately $4.1 billion due to the acquisition of Bucyrus.  The remaining increase for 2011 compared to 2010 year end was primarily due to an increase in volume across most business units. Of the total backlog, approximately $4.4 billion, $4.0 billion and $2.8 billion at December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, was not expected to be filled in the following year.  Dealers and Distributors   Our machines are distributed principally through a worldwide organization of dealers (dealer network), 48 located in the United States and 141 located outside the United States, serving 182 countries and operating 3,494 places of business, including 1,249 dealer rental outlets.  Reciprocating engines are sold principally through the dealer network and to other manufacturers for use in their products. Some of the reciprocating engines manufactured by Perkins Engines Company Limited (Perkins) are also sold through its worldwide network of 107 distributors located in 189 countries. Most of the electric power generation systems manufactured by F.G. Wilson Engineering Limited (FG Wilson) are sold through its worldwide network of 172 distributors located in 116 countries.  Some of the large, medium speed reciprocating engines are also sold under the MaK brand through a worldwide network of 19 distributors located in 130 countries.   Our dealers do not deal exclusively with our products; however, in most cases sales and servicing of our products are the dealers’ principal business.  Turbines, locomotives and certain global mining products are sold through sales forces employed by the company.  At times, these employees are assisted by independent sales representatives. While the large majority of our worldwide dealers are independently owned and operated, we own and operate three dealerships in Japan: Caterpillar East Japan Ltd., Caterpillar West Japan Ltd. and Caterpillar Tohoku Ltd. (Cat Tohoku) in the North. In March 2012, we completed the acquisition of Cat Tohoku. We are currently operating these Japanese dealers directly and their results are reported in the Construction Industries segment. There are also three independent dealers in the Southern Region of Japan.   For Caterpillar branded products, the company’s relationship with each of its independent dealers is memorialized in a standard sales and service agreement.  Pursuant to this agreement, the company grants the dealer the right to purchase and sell its products and to service the products in a specified geographic service territory.  Prices to dealers are established by the company after receiving input from dealers on transactional pricing in the marketplace.  The company also agrees to defend its intellectual property and to provide warranty and technical support to the dealer.  The agreement further grants the dealer a non-exclusive license to use the company’s trademarks, service marks and brand names.  In some instances, a separate trademark agreement exists between the company and a dealer.   In exchange for these rights, the agreement obligates the dealer to develop and promote the sale of the company’s products to current and prospective customers in the dealer’s service territory.  Each dealer agrees to employ adequate sales and support personnel to market, sell and promote the company’s products, demonstrate and exhibit the products, perform the company’s product improvement programs, inform the company concerning any features that might affect the safe operation of any of the company’s products and maintain detailed books and records of the dealer’s financial condition, sales and inventories and make these books and records available at the company’s reasonable request.   These sales and service agreements are terminable at will by either party upon 90 days written notice and provide for termination automatically if the dealer files for bankruptcy protection or upon the occurrence of comparable action seeking protection from creditors.   Patents and Trademarks   Our products are sold primarily under the brands “Caterpillar,” “CAT,” design versions of “CAT” and “Caterpillar,” “Electro-Motive,” “FG Wilson,” “MaK,” “MWM,” “Olympian,”  “Perkins,” “Progress Rail,” “SEM” and “Solar Turbines.” We own a number of patents and trademarks, which have been obtained over a period of years and relate to the products we manufacture and the services we provide.  These patents and trademarks have been of value in the growth of our business and may continue to be of value in the future.  We do not regard any of our business as being dependent upon any single patent or group of patents.   7 Table of Contents Research and Development   We have always placed strong emphasis on product-oriented research and development relating to the development of new or improved machines, engines and major components.  In 2012, 2011 and 2010, we spent $2,466 million, $2,297 million and $1,905 million, or 3.7 percent, 3.8 percent, and 4.5 percent of our sales and revenues, respectively, on our research and development programs.  Research and development expense is expected to decrease about 6 percent in 2013.   Employment   As of December 31, 2012, we employed 125,341 persons of whom 70,783 were located outside the United States.  We build and maintain a productive, motivated workforce by striving to treat all employees fairly and equitably.   In the United States, most of our 54,558 employees are at-will employees and, therefore, not subject to any type of employment contract or agreement.  At select business units, certain highly specialized employees have been hired under employment contracts that specify a term of employment and specify pay and other benefits. As of December 31, 2012, there were 13,666 U.S. hourly production employees who were covered by collective bargaining agreements with various labor unions.  The United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) represents 9,027 Caterpillar employees under a six-year central labor agreement that expires on March 1, 2017.  The International Association of Machinists (IAM) represents 1,811 employees under labor agreements that will expire on May 17, 2015 and April 30, 2018. The United Steelworkers (USW) represents 1,213 employees under labor agreements that will expire on April 30, 2013, April 30, 2015 and August 19, 2018.   Outside the United States, the company enters into employment contracts and agreements in those countries in which such relationships are mandatory or customary.  The provisions of these agreements correspond in each case with the required or customary terms in the subject jurisdiction.   Sales and Revenues   Sales and revenues outside the United States were 69 percent of consolidated sales and revenues for 2012, 70 percent for 2011 and 68 percent for 2010.   Environmental Matters   The company is regulated by federal, state and international environmental laws governing our use, transport and disposal of substances and control of emissions. In addition to governing our manufacturing and other operations, these laws often impact the development of our products, including, but not limited to, required compliance with air emissions standards applicable to internal combustion engines. We have made, and will continue to make, significant research and development and capital expenditures to comply with these emissions standards.   We are engaged in remedial activities at a number of locations, often with other companies, pursuant to federal and state laws.  When it is reasonably probable we will pay remedial costs at a site, and those costs can be reasonably estimated, the costs are accrued against our earnings.  In formulating that estimate, we do not consider amounts expected to be recovered from insurance companies or others.  The amount recorded for environmental remediation is not material and is included in the line item “Accrued expenses” in Statement 3 — “Consolidated Financial Position at December 31” of Exhibit 13.   We cannot reasonably estimate costs at sites in the very early stages of remediation.  Currently, we have a few sites in the very early stages of remediation, and there is no more than a remote chance that a material amount for remedial activities at any individual site, or at all sites in the aggregate, will be required. Available Information   The company files electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) required reports on Form 8-K, Form 10-Q, Form 10-K and Form 11-K; proxy materials; ownership reports for insiders as required by Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act); and registration statements on Forms S-3 and S-8, as necessary; and other forms or reports as required.  The public may read and copy any materials the company has filed with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20549.  The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at (800) SEC-0330.  The SEC maintains an Internet site (www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the 8 Table of Contents SEC. The company maintains an Internet site (www.Caterpillar.com) and copies of our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to these reports filed or furnished with the SEC are available free of charge through our Internet site (www.Caterpillar.com/secfilings) as soon as reasonably practicable after filing with the SEC.  Copies of our board committee charters, our board’s Guidelines on Corporate Governance Issues, Worldwide Code of Conduct and other corporate governance information are available on our Internet site (www.Caterpillar.com/governance).  The information contained on the company’s website is not included in, or incorporated by reference into, this annual report on Form 10-K.   Additional company information may be obtained as follows:   Current information -     Historical information -