Do you have a passion? Do you love your job? And are you a member of a club that relates to that passion? When it comes to jobs with Caterpillar machinery, you can feel the heartbeat – both of the fans and the machines! Find out more!
Operating heavy machinery is not as easy as it seems – you need a lot of experience and sensitiveness to make the machine do what you want it to do. For many construction machine operators, that is a challenge – and they like to compete with other operators to find out who is best at moving it! Which is the best place to meet like-minded people who share the same passion and interests – a club dedicated to that interest!
When realizing that the number of Caterpillar enthusiasts was constantly growing, Zeppelin founded “Zeppelin Fahrerclub” (Zeppelin Operators’ Club) at bauma in 1995 – several professional machine operators, being ardent fans, had asked for a platform to meet, mix and mingle. Thus, in 2020, not only the Zeppelin Group celebrates its 70th birthday, but also the Zeppelin Operators’ Club has a jubilee: 25 years of history! “Technology in the construction machinery industry has evolved over the years – and so has the offer of the Zeppelin Operators’ Club. Thus, we have become an important point of reference for all the construction machine operators and fans”, explains Hagar Valentin, who is in charge of the Zeppelin Operators’ Club.
What started out with informal meetings in the frame of a regulars’ table, was soon professionalized with the growing number of members. In the early days, the club members had their own newspaper, but today Social Media Channels are the communication platform of choice for the 35,000 official members of the “Zeppelin Fahrerclub” (Zeppelin Operators’ Club) in Germany. Many fans are so passionate about “their” machines that they like to purchase T-Shirts and other merchandise to show their commitment – and the club offers a great variety to them!
The Zeppelin Operators’ Club was such a success that it was also established in Austria in 2015 and its model was “exported” to many other countries where other Caterpillar dealers took up the idea. Furthermore, it was copied by other construction machinery brands.
Competitions for professional construction machinery operators have become a regular highlight among the club’s activities. National champions then compete with their European and global counterparts – the challenge underlines how important their work is: “Your work matters” was the motto of the last CAT Global Operator Challenge in Las Vegas. Sebastian Behr, a German champion, made it to #3 in the ranking. Congratulations!
© Zeppelin Operator’s Club
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