Does A Merger Mean Bobcat Is Going All-In On Automation?

Change and revolution are part of the DNA of Bobcat excavators, and there are a lot of signals as to the future of excavators and skid-steer loaders that have been generated by the actions of the company that oversees and handles the prestigious brand.

The RogueX concept was the first sign that Doosan Bobcat was looking towards automation as the future of one of the most prestigious names in heavy equipment. Whilst this proves the direction of travel with their research and development, other parts of the business have made it very clear how pivotal this is to the future of the business.

The biggest key to this has not just been the moves Bobcat have made to focus on automation as a priority for their construction equipment but also how parent company Doosan has moved them.

Over the past few months, there has been a rather complex attempt to separate Bobcat from Enerbility, their heavy industry division that primarily focuses on desalination and nuclear power, and merge it with their Robotics division.

Bobcat is one of the most profitable parts of Doosan, but in previous years has struggled to innovate because Enerbility has had struggles at the same time. Merging with Robotics not only frees Bobcat from this but also doubles down on automation and unmanned equipment.

The strange reshuffling has not been seen as a bad idea by investors and shareholders, but the sticking point of any move has been the value of Bobcat itself, which was seen by South Korea’s financial conduct authorities and by shareholders as undervaluing Bobcat in a move that only benefits people who already have controlling interests.

Because Bobcat is by far the most profitable part of the entire deal, this was the part that led to the most complexity, but if the future of industry is automated, Bobcat appear to be at the vanguard of this change.