# Keynote Case Study: Caterpillar — The Dealer Relationship Had to Move Beyond Price
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## Article Content
At Caterpillar's Undercarriage Product Support Leadership Summit, Jim connected two days of Six Sigma strategy work to a larger growth challenge: avoiding commoditization and building deeper manufacturer-distributor partnerships. The Challenge: Price pressure could erode differentiation unless dealers created greater strategic value around the product. The Keynote: On Track for Growth: Avoiding Commoditization & Building Strategic Partnerships. The Message: When products become easier to compare, relationships and value-added services matter more. Six Trends: Escaping Price Pressure. Moving beyond commodity price wars through partnership. Actionable Strategy. Connecting operational improvement to long-term growth. Rallying Around Growth. Aligning the team around a bold 25% growth target. Network Alignment. Strengthening manufacturer-distributor coordination. Avoiding Complacency. Preventing agile competitors from sideswiping the organization. New Revenue Streams. Creating services and value beyond physical hardware. THE WAY OUT OF COMMODITIZATION IS TO BECOME MORE VALUABLE TO THE CUSTOMER.

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Source: https://jimcarroll.com/2005/09/keynote-case-study-caterpillar-the-dealer-relationship-had-to-move-beyond-price/