Doosan Bobcat

Doosan Bobcat’s Remote Control Technology Selected as ‘the Best Innovative Product 2019’ by a North American Professional Magazine

On January 29, Doosan Bobcat announced that its remote control technology 'Max Control' had won the ‘Gold Award’, the top prize at the Innovative Product Awards 2019 hosted by Rental Equipment Register.
Marking their 17th anniversary this year, the Innovative Product Awards recognize the most innovative technologies of the year in the construction and landscaping industries.
Doosan Bobcat's Max Control technology, winner of the highest honor at the award show, is a new technology that enables the user to operate construction equipment by remote control using an IOS-based iPhone or iPad, a first in the construction industry. Max Control was unveiled at the CES 2020 held in Las Vegas, USA.
High product compatibility and operational convenience are among the major advantages that Max Control has to offer. Max Control requires no additional devices: With its Selectable Joystick Controls, customers can apply this function to any model of loader produced since 2004 simply by using a mobile application. The user can operate construction equipment by remote control within a radius of up to 450 meters, and switch it on and off as needed, using a smartphone.
“The Max Control technology greatly reduces the risks involved in rough terrain jobs, and enables a single person to handle multiple items of equipment, which leads to great improvements in operational efficiency,” said an official from Doosan Bobcat. "We are planning to release an Android app and an upgraded version equipped with additional features, such as a front camera, by the end of 2020.”
Doosan Bobcat is currently accelerating its digital transformation: At the CES 2020, the company featured an AR-based work support program and ‘Features on Demand,’ a customer support program available on a portable device.

2020-01-29

Doosan Bobcat Enters North American Landscape Equipment Market with Acquisition of BOB-CAT

On December 2, 2019, Doosan Bobcat Inc. announced the plan to acquire the Zero-turn-Mower business of the BOB-CAT, Steiner and Ryan brands from Schiller Grounds Care, Inc. The estimated purchase price is USD 82mil and transaction is expected to close by the end of year
North America's ZTR market stands at approximately 810,000 units per year, $ 4.8 billion and has grown at an average annual growth rate of 7.8% over the past five years. Doosan Bobcat aims to settle early in the market based on its high brand awareness and dealer capabilities.
Doosan Bobcat secured ZTR Mower products and sales network at the same time and accelerated the expansion of grounds maintenance products with the recently launched Compact Tractor. This will help expand the dealer networks in the southern and western United States, where demand for both products is high, and to expand sales of existing products in the region.
“Mower is a must-have product to enhance our product competitiveness in the ground maintenance industry. And the acquisition will serve as an opportunity to accelerate business expansion in North America.” said Scott Park, chief executive officer and president of Doosan Bobcat. “We will focus on our capabilities to maximize synergy with existing products by rapidly expanding our business to light equipment markets through new products and channels”

2019-12-02

Doosan Bobcat Successfully Reprices Long-Term Loan to Secure Lowest Spread Possible

Doosan Bobcat Inc. has succeeded in repricing its long-term loan based on its strong business performance, robust financial structure, and upgraded credit rating.
On December 1, Doosan Bobcat Inc. announced that it had successfully repriced its Term Loan B (TLB)* for US$660 million as of November 29, 2019.
* TLB (Term Loan B): TLB refers to a source of project financing provided by US financial institutions including institutional investors and banks.
The repricing has lowered the interest rate spread for Doosan Bobcat’s TLB by 25bp from the previous ‘3-month Libor + 2.00%’ to ‘3-month Libor + 1.75%,’ which it is estimated will save the company around US$1.7 million in financing costs each year.
The 1.75% spread, the lowest for a TLB granted to businesses, suggests that Doosan Bobcat’s business credibility and financial structure have been highly appraised by investors in the United States, the world’s largest financial market. Since Doosan Bobcat procured US$1.3 billion in a TLB at a spread rate of 3.5% in 2013, the company has repaid part of the loan early and succeeded in repricing the remainder multiple times based on its robust business performance and sound financial structure, to the extent that the initial spread has now been halved to 1.75%.
Last May, S&P Global Ratings gave Doosan Bobcat a two-notch upgrade on its TLBs from BB to BBB (investment grade), which was instrumental in reducing the company’s TLB spread. Recently, Doosan Bobcat secured a US$165 million credit line** for the first time in its history on the back of its improved credit rating.
**Credit Line: A credit line refers to the credit limit set by banks for a certain period of time during which the firm in question can borrow and repay money at any time without security within the set limit.
“It is very significant that we have succeeded in readjusting our interest rate and secured the lowest spread possible amid numerous uncertain external factors,” stated a Doosan Bobcat executive in charge of the matter. “We will now focus our attention on securing a medium- to long-term growth engine by expanding the scope of our business and enhancing our product competitiveness in the compact equipment market, in particular, on the back of our improved credit rating, stable business performance, and efficient cash management.

2019-11-29

Doosan Bobcat Opens Global Collaboration Center in Minnesota to Strengthen Global Competitiveness

Doosan Bobcat has established its new Global Collaboration Center (GCC) in Minnesota, USA in a drive to comprehensively strengthen its global competitiveness.
On November 17, Doosan Bobcat announced that it had opened the GCC in Minneapolis, Minnesota with major executives including President/CEO Scott Park in attendance.
The GCC will serve as a control tower that oversees all the key functions the company performs in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. It is expected to become the company’s core base, sharing its strategies with each region and integrating its various systems related to new product development, logistics, procurement and IT systems. Doosan Bobcat anticipates powerful synergistic effects in the areas of cost competitiveness, R&D capability, and digital transformation.
“The establishment of the new GCC is a crucial opportunity for us to further strengthen our global competitiveness through the establishment of a global integrated system,” declared President/CEO Scott Park. "We will focus on maintaining Doosan Bobcat's position as the global leader in the compact equipment market by maximizing regional synergistic effects."
Doosan Bobcat also announced a US$26 million facility investment plan at its Litchfield plant, which produces attachments for Compact loaders and excavators. The investment is part of the company’s preemptive response to rising demand for its attachments following the expansion of its product lineup. The company plans to expand the current production facilities by more than three times.

2019-11-17

Doosan Bobcat Opens New Office Building in Dobris, Czech Republic to Expand Presence in Europe and the Middle East

Doosan Bobcat has finished laying the foundations for extending its business in Europe and the Middle East and begun full-fledged efforts to expand its presence in the two regions.
On October 13, 2019, Doosan Bobcat announced that it had held an opening ceremony on October 11 for its new EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) office building in Dobris, Czech Republic, with its top executives including president & CEO Scott Park in attendance.
Built on a 1,561㎡ site, the new three-story office building consists of pleasant offices and diverse convenience facilities covering a total floor area of 3,370㎡.
Since completing its compact equipment manufacturing plant with a floor area of 22,000㎡ in 2007, Doosan Bobcat has built two R&D centers (Training and Innovation Centers) and a logistics center. With the construction of the new office building, Doosan Bobcat EMEA has finished laying the groundwork for expanding its business operations in the continents where it does business.
Based in Dobris, Czech Republic, Doosan Bobcat EMEA is the compact equipment production hub for Europe and the Middle East. In 2018, it rolled out some 17,000 units of compact equipment worth 765 million euros (about KRW 1 trillion). In 2019, the subsidiary is expected to produce more than 20,000 units, representing a 20% increase on YoY, largely due to increased sales in the European market.
President & CEO Scott Park said, “The opening of the new office building is an important opportunity for Doosan Bobcat to strengthen its market leadership in Europe and the Middle East,” adding, “2019 is a critical year for Doosan Bobcat in that the company has further enhanced its status as the market leader in the field of compact equipment throughout the year. Moving forward, Doosan Bobcat will continue to redefine and lead this important market.”
Since the recent announcement of its new business slogan “Next Is Now” Doosan Bobcat has placed particular focus on enhancing its global business competitiveness. To that end, it has launched a new compact tractor for the North American market and a new backhoe loader for the Indian market since September. During the rest of the year, the company plans to launch more new products, including an ‘R Series’ Loader equipped with a new platform, as part of its strong efforts to accelerate its growth worldwide.

2019-10-11