How Wheels Provided Award-Winning Service to Caterpillar

Wheels Wins the Caterpillar Supplier Excellence Recognition Award

I always say to my clients “Do I have the permission to challenge you?” Generally, the answer is yes. With Caterpillar, it has always been a resounding “yes”. This year that has resulted in Wheels receiving a Supplier Excellence Recognition Award.

Receiving this award was an incredibly proud moment in my career—one I rank among my top five successes. With more than 900 attendees from 25 countries in attendance at the Supplier Excellence Recognition event, the significance of this achievement for our team at Wheels cannot be overstated. It’s not every day that you find yourself standing on a stage, recognized as the top-performing supplier for such a legendary global client.

Being recognized in the top 300 suppliers at Caterpillar, and ultimately chosen for excellence, speaks volumes about Wheels’ commitment to our clients. Caterpillar’s suppliers come from a wide variety of industries, some specializing in manufacturing components for their heavy equipment, while others, like us, focusing on service. This award means even more to Wheels because it’s the first time the organization has ever recognized their indirect services suppliers at this level. To be part of that historic moment and to know that our services made such a profound impact was deeply rewarding.

A Client Centered Approach that Drives Results

When I think about what made us stand out, several factors come to mind. First, I credit our team’s commitment to understanding Caterpillar’s goals and aligning ourselves fully with their purpose. From our initial meetings, we’ve been dedicated to understanding not only their operational needs but also their vision for the future. This client relationship goes back more than 15 years, and in that time, we’ve built a rigorous and customized process of regular communication, deliberate planning, and continuous improvement.

It’s here that our Results+ Methodology comes into play—Wheels’ structured approach that mirrors the very steps we’ve taken to achieve success for Caterpillar. This methodology is the consistent framework Wheels uses with all our clients, ensuring that our approach is strategic, repeatable and scalable—yet flexible enough to address unique client needs.

Building Long Term Success Through Strategy and Communication

Each year, we conduct a detailed annual business review with fleet management, and we use these reviews to establish goals and map out strategic plans for the year ahead. It’s that ongoing commitment to adapt and evolve with their business needs that has cemented our relationship.

One key to our success with Caterpillar has been our consultative approach, which we apply with every client we serve. At Wheels, we don’t just manage fleets; we manage relationships. We believe that transformational change happens when we listen carefully to our clients, understand their short- and long-term goals, and then work proactively to deliver solutions that align with those objectives. Early in the year, I spend time learning each client’s annual goals, both for the company and for the individuals within it. Then our team crafts a roadmap that aligns Wheels’ resources and expertise with these priorities, creating a roadmap we can follow together throughout the year.

This client-centered approach has been crucial to achieving success and consistently delivering meaningful results.

Our relationship is supported by a strong and dedicated team at Wheels. I work with talented colleagues like Lisa Ackerman, Dedicated Fleet Manager, and Dawn Ginsburg, Account Manager, whose expertise and dedication make a real difference on the ground. We conduct quarterly meetings with their supplier relationship management team, where we measure and evaluate our performance in areas that are important to the organization. Every quarter, we analyze our progress, identify areas for improvement, and act on those insights to consistently exceed expectations. This commitment to ongoing improvement is a core value at Wheels, and it’s one of the reasons our relationship with Caterpillar has flourished for more than a decade.

Witnessing a Culture of Excellence

Having the opportunity to witness Caterpillar’s internal culture at the awards event was inspiring as well. Leaders like Courtney Graf, their Vice President of Indirect Procurement, were present to recognize and honor their top partners. Hearing Courtney praise Wheels as a “top-performing supplier delivering strategic savings” was both humbling and motivating. We don’t take our role as one of Caterpillar’s fleet management partners lightly, and the feedback we receive from them helps us refine our approach and raise the bar for all of our client relationships.

Caterpillar actively drives innovation with connected vehicle solutions and prioritizes their annual optimum replacement analysis to maintain peak operational efficiency. To support these efforts, Wheels proactively collaborates with Caterpillar through an annual TCO analysis, ensuring that their selection of vehicles aligns perfectly with their evolving operational needs.

Our strategies at Wheels are always evolving to meet client needs, and we consistently develop new tools and methods to drive savings and enhance efficiency for our clients. I am proud to use a strategic savings tool that helps us identify cost-saving opportunities for clients, backed by data and analytics to provide evidence of value. This tool isn’t unique to this client—it’s a resource we provide for all our clients, enabling us to deliver tailored savings that align with each organization’s unique needs and priorities. Whether it’s optimizing fleet operations, enhancing driver experience, or introducing sustainable solutions, our approach is always consultative and rooted in a deep understanding of our clients.

Looking Ahead

Looking forward, I’m excited about the journey ahead with Caterpillar. With a fully outsourced fleet management program, they look to us not only for fleet operations but for insights and innovation that support their goals. This award is a testament to the strength of our relationship and the dedication of everyone involved. For me, it’s a reminder of why I am so passionate about what I do—delivering meaningful results through collaboration, expertise, and a commitment to excellence.

Winning the Supplier Excellence Recognition Award is one of my proudest career achievements, as it highlights Wheels’ dedication to supporting our clients’ strategic goals. Our success with Caterpillar underscores the power of the Results+ Methodology, a framework built on understanding, planning, measurement, and delivery. Supporting Caterpillar in reaching their goals and elevating their performance is a reward in itself—being recognized, well, that is just icing on the cake!

Dawn McAleer,
Wheels Regional Vice President,
Fleet Consulting