On July 2, 1900 the first Zeppelin airship rose into the sky. Among those on board was the visionary and company founder, Graf Ferdinand von Zeppelin. The disaster at Lakehurst, the end of the rigid airship are, war, reconstruction and the German economic miracle pushed the company in a completely new direction. In 1954 Zeppelin won the exclusive marketing and servicing rights for Caterpillar construction machinery. Cat Wheel Loaders, Cat Dozers and the gigantic Cat Scrapers marked the beginning of this.

The range of Zeppelin products grew steadily, as did the network of branch depots, available servicing facilities and service parks. German reunification and a program of reconstruction undertaken in the 80s and 90s enabled enormous growth, and smoothed the way for Zeppelin to become a billion-mark group operating throughout Europe.