CAT excavator tears up train in new Bond film, Skyfall

Two iconic brands – James Bond and Caterpillar Inc. – join together for the 23rd Bond adventure, Skyfall. The world premiere of Skyfall was held in London on 23 October 2012 and continues showing worldwide, including Sri Lanka on subsequent dates.

Keeping with the non-stop, over-the-top action that Bond films are known for, Skyfall features James Bond (secret agent, 007) played by Daniel Craig, and a Cat excavator (320D L Cat hydraulic excavator) pummelling cars, on a train that is speeding down the tracks through the Turkish countryside.

“Seeing our machine on the big screen is exciting. Seeing it featured in the world’s longest running film franchise is simply amazing,” said Diane Lantz-Rickard, Caterpillar Global Brand Marketing Manager. “Our brand has been featured in more than 20 movies dating as far back as 1927, and we worked with the Bond films previously in The World Is Not Enough, 1999. We’re proud to continue the association with such a respected and globally known brand.”

“As the sole authorised dealer for Caterpillar in Sri Lanka, we at UTE are really excited about the 320D L Cat hydraulic excavator appearing in Skyfall as well, and will be heading out to see it when it premiers in Sri Lanka,” said Riyad Ismail, CEO of United Tractors & Equipment.

Caterpillar prides itself on designing and building equipment to meet customers’ needs. In this case, the customisation involved something unique – putting the cab on the opposite side of the 320D L as requested by EON Productions, the James Bond production company.

“The cab switch, required for the location of the shoot and interaction between characters, took several months of pre-planning,” said Robert Woodley, Caterpillar Communications Manager for Europe, Africa, Middle East and the CIS. “The biggest challenge involved changing the electronics and hydraulics to accommodate the cab on the other side of the machine.”

“Ultimately, two 320D L excavators were produced in Caterpillar’s Akashi, Japan, plant for SKYFALL. Cat dealers Finning UK and Borusan Makina were in on the action, too. Finning UK assisted the special effects (SFX) department in technical support and supply of parts for the excavators. At the site, Borusan Makina provided on-site expertise and services as well as equipment, such as generator sets, a skid steer loader and mini hydraulic excavator, for the shoot.”

To watch the movie trailer visit http://www.007.com/videos/.

For more than 85 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. With 2011 sales and revenues of $60.138 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 also is a leading services provider through Caterpillar Financial Services, Caterpillar Re-manufacturing Services and Progress Rail Services. Caterpillar is represented in Sri Lanka through United Tractor & Equipment (Pvt) Ltd., which is also known as UTE.