George Schaefer, 84, Led 1980s Caterpillar Transformation

摘要

George A. Schaefer,84, an accountant whose leadership at construction equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. in the 1980s guided it from red ink to profits and global growth, died on April 9 in Peoria, III., says the firm,also based there, No cause of death was provided. Schaefer's term as chairman and CEO, from 1985 until 1990, capped a 39-year company career. He took the helm amid Caterpillar losses of nearly $1 billion, United Auto Workers strikes at its plants and stronger foreign competition, such as from Japan-based Komatsu Corp., according to a Harvard Business Review analysis.