A COMPANY FOUNDED ON A CHALLENGE
In search of an easier way to clean turkey barns, a groundbreaking company was started in 1958.
Legacy of Innovation
The Keller brothers from Minnesota accepted a friendly challenge from a local turkey farmer to build an agile machine that could clean two-story turkey barns faster than a man and a shovel. They succeeded and laid the foundation for a global company that still creates innovative jobsite solutions over six decades later.
1947
The Bobcat story begins in Gwinner, North Dakota, USA, with the founding of Melroe Manufacturing Company by Edward Gideon ‘E. G.’ Melroe.
1957
The Keller brothers develop a small 3-wheeled loader for a local turkey farmer, Eddie Velo.
1958
Melroe purchases the manufacturing rights and presents the M60 production model loader at the Minnesota State Fair.
1960
The M-400 model is born, the world’s first true compact skid-steer loader with 4-wheel-drive.
1962
The M440 is the first skid-steer loader to use the Melroe Bobcat trademark.
1965
Licensed production of skid-steer loaders for the European market begins in England.
1968
Material Handling
First forklift produced in South Korea under the Daewoo brand
1969
Melroe brothers sell their company to Clark Equipment Company.
1978
Material Handling
Start of export from Korea
1986
The first Bobcat compact excavators are introduced in Europe.
1993
Material Handling
European sales operation established in Belgium
1995
Ingersoll-Rand acquires Melroe and its parent organisation, Clark.
2001
Bobcat purchases Superstav, a manufacturer of compact backhoe loaders based in Dobříš, Czech Republic.
2003
Bobcat introduces telehandlers, backhoe loaders, mini-track loaders, and utility vehicles.
2004
The former Superstav plant in Dobříš produces the first Bobcat 553 skid-steer loader.
2005
Material Handling
Acquired by Doosan Group
2007
Doosan Infracore, founded in 1896 in Seoul, South Korea, purchases Bobcat and renames it Doosan Bobcat. The company opens a brand new factory in Dobříš, Czech Republic and becomes one of the fastest growing companies in the world.
2014
The Innovation Center opens with a total investment of CZK 350 million (EU subsidy of CZK 90 million).
2014
The Innovation Center opens with a total investment of 350 million CZK (90 million support from EU funds).
2015
Doosan Bobcat employs 800 people and produces 12,000 machines per year.
2017
The Doosan Bobcat EMEA headquarters relocates from Waterloo (Belgium) to a modern campus in Dobříš.
2019
The new Doosan Bobcat EMEA Headquarters opens in Dobříš.
2019
Bobcat introduces the new E10e electric mini-excavator, with zero emissions, reduced noise, a width of just 71 cm, and a full-day battery.
2020
48 new products launch in 12 different categories, including new Compact Wheel Loaders, Small Articulated Loaders, and Light Compaction.
2021
Doosan Bobcat acquires forklift manufacturer, Doosan Industrial Vehicles.
2022
Bobcat rolls out Ground Maintenance Equipment in the EMEA following its success on the North American market.
2023 / 2024
Doosan Bobcat announces its global brand strategy: Forklift, Portable Power, and Ryan Turf Equipment transition to the Bobcat Brand.
Awards Aren’t Won.
They’re Earned.
When you focus on solutions, recognition and awards tend to follow. And we’re honored to earn every single one. It’s a testament to our incredible people that major organizations and national publications recognize the innovation that goes into our industry-leading work.
There’s Only One Bobcat.
We’re honored to have built a name and reputation synonymous with the skid-steer loader industry. However, calling any old machine a “Bobcat” is a disservice to the thousands of men and women who’ve spent years building and perfecting our craft. You can call a tissue by a brand name, but in this business, only one machine lives up to the Bobcat name.
