Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) vs Lam Research Corporation (LRCX)

Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. The company reports results across Construction Industries, Resource Industries, and Energy & Transportation, with market share nearing 20% in many product categories. Caterpillar also operates a captive finance subsidiary that helps support equipment sales. Its business has a broad global footprint, with revenue roughly balanced between the United States and international markets. The construction segment is more heavily weighted toward the domestic market, while the other divisions are more geographically diversified. An independent dealer network of more than 150 dealers runs approximately 2,800 locations, extending Caterpillar’s sales and service presence to about 190 countries.

Lam Research Corp is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment. The company specializes in deposition and etch technologies, which involve building layers on a semiconductor wafer and selectively removing patterns from each layer. Lam holds the leading market share in etch and ranks a clear second in deposition. It has greater exposure to memory chipmakers, particularly in DRAM and NAND. Its major customers include some of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, such as TSMC, Samsung, Intel, and Micron.