With a value of $5 billion, the Caterpillar Inc. brand ranks 66th in the latest Best Global Brands List compiled by Interbrand, the world’s largest brand consultancy. The 2009 ranking marks the eighth-consecutive year Caterpillar has been ranked as one of the world’s top 100 brands. In 2008, the Caterpillar brand ranked 68.

“For more than 80 years, Caterpillar and its global dealer network have worked side by side to provide our customers with unmatched products and service support,” said Stu Levenick, Caterpillar group president. “That dedication to our customers as well as Caterpillar’s reputation for product innovation and quality is a key reason that our brand is recognized and valued in every region of the world.”

To qualify for inclusion in the BusinessWeek/Interbrand Best Global Brands 2009 list, each brand must derive at least a third of its earnings outside its home country, be recognized outside of its base of customers and have publicly available marketing and financial data. This methodology evaluates brand value in the same way any other corporate asset is valued — on the basis of how much it is likely to earn for the company in the future. Interbrand uses a combination of analysts’ projections, company financial documents and its own qualitative and quantitative analyses to arrive at a net present value of those earnings.

Headquartered in Peoria, Ill., Caterpillar is a leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines. The company also is a leading services provider through Caterpillar Financial Services, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services, Caterpillar Logistics Services and Progress Rail Services.