The Caterpillar Production System (CPS) is the way Caterpillar unites the Operating, Cultural, and Management Systems to pursue Order-to-Delivery excellence. CPS enables the Enterprise Strategy built on the foundation of Our Values in Action and 6 Sigma—the Strategic Area of Improvement (SAI): Order-to-Delivery and Critical Success Factors (CSFs): PEOPLE, QUALITY, VELOCITY, and TROUGH.
CPS encompasses three sub-systems essential to
Continuous Improvement.
• Operating System: It eliminates waste using 6 Sigma and 6 Sigma lean tools.
• Cultural System: It makes change possible and improves the way we work.
• Management System: It creates the measurements and management structure that support Continuous Improvement.
In the past, these sub-systems have often functioned independently of each other. But as we work leaner and eliminate waste, the
sub-systems will overlap, ultimately uniting in one sustainable system, CPS.
Within each sub-system, certain disciplines must be mastered to ensure ultimate sustainability. CPS has identified 15 Guiding Principles that define how we should approach our work.