50th Anniversary of the Finanzauto and Caterpillar Agreement

On May 31, 1963, the agreement between the two companies was signed.

We want to share with everyone that on May 31, we celebrated 50 years of collaboration between Finanzauto and Caterpillar. On this occasion, we also wish to highlight other important milestones in our company’s history, in which we have had the great satisfaction of being not only spectators but also participants—and in many cases, key players—through our customers.

In Madrid, on July 9, 1930, Finanzauto, S.A. was founded. From that moment until 1962, the company’s business focused on the financing and sale of automobiles, agricultural tractors, trucks, and public works machinery from various prominent brands. Those over 30 years of expansion provided the company with the stability necessary for Caterpillar, the global leader in earthmoving equipment, to offer exclusive distribution of its products in Spain to Finanzauto, S.A.

The agreement was signed in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 31, 1963. Since then, 50 years of significant milestones have passed, crucial both for the company’s expansion and for the economic growth of our country.

In the same year, 1963, Caterpillar launched its new Industrial Division, dedicated exclusively to the development and manufacture of engines, located in Mosville, north of Peoria, Illinois. One of the initial challenges was to adapt the facilities to business demand.

In 1967, the first three Bases were inaugurated: Arganda, Barcelona, and Valencia, followed by Tenerife in 1968, the same year the company received its first Model Company award in Social Security.

Between 1969 and 1974, seven new Bases were opened in Oviedo, Zaragoza, Bilbao, Sevilla, Las Palmas, Málaga, and Coruña, along with delegations in Lérida and Palma de Mallorca.

In 1973, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the distribution agreement with the American brand, a major meeting was held in Madrid, during which Caterpillar congratulated all Finanzauto employees for achieving the #1 sales volume among distributors worldwide.

In February 1976, the Advisory and Training Center was launched in Arganda del Rey, inaugurated by the then Minister of Education and Science, Mr. Robles Piquer.

In 1990, Finanzauto, S.A. acquired a majority stake in the Portuguese company STET, the Caterpillar products distributor in Portugal.

Today, the company boasts a consolidated, young, dynamic, and expert team, fully prepared to face the future with enthusiasm and a clear goal: to continue working hand in hand with our clients, helping them achieve maximum profitability from their Caterpillar equipment and, consequently, their businesses. The pursuit of excellence and continuous improvement makes our daily work a stimulating and motivating challenge, allowing us to continue growing and to keep Progressing Together for at least another 50 years.