The logistics market has recently acquired a new brand of forklift trucks: Bobcat. The brand is world famous for an extensive range of compact machines, which are used in construction, the agricultural sector, landscaping, demolition, recycling and many other industries. Bobcat loaders and telehandlers, which can be equipped with attachments such as buckets, grabs, bale clamps, dump hoppers and pallet forks, are often used for material handling and logistics tasks. It is therefore no surprise that products from sister company – Doosan Industrial Vehicle (DIV) – forklift trucks and warehouse equipment – are now part of the Bobcat family. These material handling machines will be produced in the well-known Bobcat colours from 1st January 2024.
The history of Bobcat forklift trucks goes back to 1968 when the first forklift truck was produced in South Korea under the Daewoo brand. In 2005, the company was taken over by Doosan, after which DIV was founded in 2011 as part of Doosan Infracore. In 2021, Doosan Bobcat took over the company and all of the elements of the organisation. These include two factories in Incheon (Korea) and Yanta (China), where forklifts are produced, and a factory in Lübben (Germany) where pallet trucks and stackers are made. The company is currently active in more than 90 countries.
Warehouse and Product Inspections
In 1993, DIV started selling in mainland Europe from a location in Belgium. In 2007, the company moved to a warehouse and distribution centre for forklift trucks, warehouse equipment and spare parts in Sint-Niklaas in Belgium. The European headquarters of DIV is also located in Sint-Niklaas, where the sales, marketing, customer service, technical support administration and HR departments are based.
This branch of the company, which has now been renamed Doosan Bobcat Belgium, will undergo a number of changes, involving an investment of approximately two million euros. The offices are being renovated and refurnished in the Bobcat corporate identity, to create a modern and attractive workplace. In addition, the facilities for technical inspections, pre-delivery inspections and service are being expanded and modernised. For example, new lift bridges and a spray booth are being installed. In addition to Sint-Niklaas, DIV has its own sales offices in France, Italy and Germany. In other countries, the company works with importers/resellers.
Product Portfolio
The Bobcat range for logistics and material handling now consists of various product lines: a series of diesel forklift trucks with lifting capacities from 2 to 16 ton; a series of LPG forklift trucks with lifting capacities from 2 to 7 ton and a series of electric forklift trucks with lifting capacities from 1.2 to 10 ton. The latter segment also includes a line of electric forklifts with three wheels for light work from 1.2 to 2 ton. The warehouse solutions include pallet trucks, stackers and reach trucks.
During the last LogiMAT exhibition in Stuttgart in Germany, Doosan Bobcat introduced a number of new machines. The new B80NS forklift truck was on display, which is part of a series of electric counterbalanced forklift trucks with lifting capacities of 8 and 10 ton. In addition, two prototypes were on display: the three wheel B18NT electric forklift with a lithium battery and the B30X-7 Plus hydrogen forklift.
Bobcat DNA
The DIV website states that the company strives to bring simple and powerful machines to the market that offer the driver a lot of comfort and that are also environmentally friendly. These ambitions make it clear that the two companies are a great fit, because Bobcat’s principles are virtually the same. Both companies also invest heavily in innovation to develop valuable and reliable products for their customers, so that they can perform their work efficiently and get optimal return on their investment. Thanks to the integration into Doosan Bobcat, DIV can benefit from Bobcat’s extensive R&D facilities, a number of exciting machine management innovations, marketing know-how and Bobcat’s extensive dealer network, while Bobcat now has a virtually complete portfolio of compact machines.
For more information about Bobcat and its products, visit www.bobcat.com.
