2026 CAT Dealer Finance Conference: Digging deep into finance transformation

At the 2026 CAT Dealer Finance Conference, we connected with Caterpillar dealer finance leaders, caught up with existing SAP Concur customers, and met new faces from across the dealer community.

As first-time attendees, we welcomed the chance to hear what was top of mind for finance teams and share ideas for getting more value from technology investments.

One topic came up repeatedly in our conversations: finance transformation. Many Caterpillar dealers are focused on modernizing their core financial systems, including the transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365. These initiatives also create opportunities to consider how finance processes, data, and teams can work better together as organizations plan what comes next.

For manufacturers and equipment dealers, that matters in everyday operations. 

Employees travel between locations, supplier invoices need to be processed, and approvals need to keep pace with the business. Bringing travel, expense, and invoice management together can help finance teams reduce manual work, better understand spending, and get more value from their financial systems.

Making AI investments count

Getting more from technology investments was also at the heart of our conference breakout session, How to Achieve True Business ROI on AI Investment Dollars.

Susan Fung and Natalie Wahlers from Concur explored how AI-enabled automation across travel, expense, and accounts payable can deliver measurable business value.

An important part of the discussion was employee adoption. Investing in new technology is one thing, but getting people to use it effectively is essential to achieving a return on that investment.

With AI embedded in Concur solutions, organizations can automate repetitive tasks, identify potential errors, and simplify everyday spend management processes. It’s a practical way to help employees spend less time on administration while giving finance teams greater control over spending.

Building on today’s investments

Beyond the breakout session, we had some great conversations with existing customers, prospective customers, and partners.

Some Concur customers told us they were considering adding accounts payable automation once their Dynamics 365 transitions were complete.

It was a useful reminder that finance transformation doesn’t happen all at once. Organizations have different priorities, and opportunities to improve processes can evolve as their systems and needs change.

For businesses already using Concur for travel and expense management, extending automation to invoice processing can be a natural next step. And with Concur solutions connecting to a wide range of ERP and financial systems, organizations can build on their technology investments without having to rethink everything at once.

You’re ahead with SAP Concur

Our first CAT Dealer Finance Conference gave us a better understanding of the priorities shaping the dealer community. Whether the discussion was about financial system modernization, extending automation to new processes, or achieving measurable returns from AI, the common thread was getting more value from technology investments.

We’re looking forward to continuing those conversations and helping more organizations benefit from connected spend management.

For practical ways to improve spend management starting today, download our infographic, Manufacturing: 5 Ways to Get Ahead of Spend.

Want to see Concur solutions in action? Talk to us today.