Web Globalization and the Bottom Line (continued)

Okay, so I’ve written about Google and eBay are how they’ve hugely benefited from investing in Web globalization. That’s all fine and good, but what does this mean for a company that manufacturers and sells physical goods globally? Where’s the ROI there?

Funny you should ask, as I just read a Wall Street Journal article on Caterpillar’s Q1 earnings. Not surprisingly, the US housing slowdown is affecting Caterpillar in a negative way, but not as negative as one might think.

Says the article, “The heavy-equipment manufacturer is also a bit more bearish on U.S. economic growth than it was last quarter. Still, Caterpillar raised its 2007 guidance for earnings, sales and revenue based on expectations for continued economic strength outside the U.S. Strength overseas also helped it top Wall Street projections in the recent quarter despite the earnings decline.”

Thanks to an agressive global growth strategy, Caterpillar is able to mitigate a downturn in the US market by tapping into markets that are thriving, such as Europe and Asia.

And while a localized Web site is just one small part of Caterpillar’s global strategy, its Web site is one of the best. We will formally announce next week that Caterpillar made our top 10 list of global Web sites in the 2007 Web Globalization Report Card. Stay tuned…

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