Celebrating 100 Years of Construction Equipment at bauma


The Eberhard Brothers Excavator and Tractor Company was founded in Switzerland in 1954. Over seven decades and three generations later, Eberhard has become one of the biggest names in Swiss construction. Their fleet has expanded considerably, and they have grown to a team of over 250 employees, but two key elements of the business remain unchanged: they remain family-owned and continue to count on Cat® equipment to get the job done.  

In addition to being a major player in the Swiss construction sector, Eberhard also owns and operates the Ebianum, an excavator museum in Fisibach, Switzerland, dedicated to preserving the history and development of construction machinery.  
 

Limited edition Centennial Cat Machine
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The Caterpillar Model Sixty   

One of the many machines on display at the museum is a Caterpillar Model Sixty, which Caterpillar Marketing Manager Valery Ambuhl describes as “a true pioneer.”  

“It embodies the qualities that have forged Caterpillar’s global reputation.” 

First introduced as the Best 60 Tracklayer in 1919, The Sixty went on to become the largest and best-known tractor of its era, having worked on everything from European canals and Chinese roads to the construction of the original Hollywood sign in the U.S.  

Eberhard imported the machine from the US through a German dealer in the 90s and then refurbished the machine themselves before putting it on display in the museum. 

Considering its importance to Caterpillar history, we invited Silvan and Hans Rudolf Eberhard to join us at bauma. The Sixty was displayed alongside our Centennial Limited Edition D6 XE, offering visitors a view of a century of progress between the two machines.
 

Preserving 100 Years of Construction History 

While it was the only machine The Ebianum had on display at bauma, The Sixty is far from the only Cat machine on display at the museum.  Of the roughly 50 full-size machines currently on display, Hans estimates 35 are Caterpillar machines. 

The Ebianum celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. In the decade since the museum opened, they’ve seen 330,000 visitors, with 60,000 in the last year alone. 

“The museum is mainly intended for fans,” Hans told us. “There is a large model exhibition with around 3,000 construction machinery models. Additionally, we have a large playground. You can climb onto the machines, practice with small electric excavators, and play in the sandpile.” 

Vintage Cat machine
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Seeing The Sixty side-by-side with the Centennial Limited Edition D6 XE highlighted 100 years of progress in construction technology—but it was also a reminder of how intertwined Caterpillar’s story is with the stories of our customers. As we celebrate 100 years of innovation in service to our customers, we are also celebrating 100 years of customers keeping the Cat brand alive on their jobsites and, in Eberhard’s case, on their museum’s show floor.  



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