Business · Facts & sources
4 sourced facts about heavy equipment and equipment rental, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
Answerafter World War I
Equipment rental as an organized business emerged in Britain in the years following World War I.
Source: Wikipedia, Equipment rental (2024) en.wikipedia.org
AnswerCaterpillar, about $37.8 billion
Caterpillar holds roughly a 16% share of the global heavy-equipment market, well ahead of its rivals.
Source: Industry sales rankings (via Wikipedia-cited data) (2025) en.wikipedia.org
Answerabout 11.2%
Komatsu is the clear number two behind Caterpillar in the global heavy-equipment industry.
Source: Industry sales rankings (via Wikipedia-cited data) (2025) en.wikipedia.org
Answermore than 17,000 companies
Most of these European rental firms are small, with the majority employing fewer than five people.
Source: Wikipedia, Equipment rental (2019) en.wikipedia.org