Bobcat Company is an American-based manufacturer of farm and construction equipment. Its American headquarters is in

West Fargo, North Dakota West Fargo is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. It is, as of the 2020 census, the fifth largest city in the state of North Dakota with a population of 38,626, and it is one of the state's fastest growing cities. West Fargo wa ...

, formerly in Gwinner, North Dakota. Its European headquarters moved in 2017 from Waterloo,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, to

Dobříš Dobříš (; german: Doberschisch) is a town in Příbram District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,700 inhabitants. It is located south of Prague, and it is a part of the Prague metropolitan area. Administrat ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

(where Bobcat operates one of its European manufacturing plants). It was a subsidiary of the

Ingersoll Rand Ingersoll Rand is an American multinational company that provides flow creation and industrial products. The company was formed in February 2020 through the spinoff of the industrial segment of Ingersoll-Randplc (now known as Trane Technologies) ...

Company from 1995 until July 2007, when it was sold for US$4.9 billion to Doosan Infracore. The company sells skid steer loaders,

compact excavator A compact or mini excavator is a tracked or wheeled vehicle with an approximate operating weight from 0.7 to 8.5 tonnes. It generally includes a standard backfill blade and features independent boom swing. Hydraulic excavators are somewhat diff ...

s, side-by-sides, compact tractors, and other small

hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counte ...

equipment under the Bobcat brand name. It is one of the few major manufacturing companies operating in North Dakota.

History

In the 1950s, Louis and Cyril Keller operated Keller Welding and Repair near

Rothsay, Minnesota Rothsay is a city in Otter Tail and Wilkin counties in the State of Minnesota. The population was 498 at the 2020 census. One of Rothsay's major tourist attractions is the large prairie chicken statue near the northwest outskirts of the tow ...

. In 1956, Eddie Velo, a turkey farmer in the area, described to the Kellers a need for a machine small enough to maneuver inside a

pole barn Pole framing or post-frame construction (pole building framing, pole building, pole barn) is a simplified building technique that is an alternative to the labor-intensive traditional timber framing technique. It uses large poles or posts bu ...

and light enough to operate on its upper level. The brothers developed a small, three-wheeled design with a

belt Belt may refer to: Apparel * Belt (clothing), a leather or fabric band worn around the waist * Championship belt, a type of trophy used primarily in combat sports * Colored belts, such as a black belt or red belt, worn by martial arts practit ...

-driven transmission, and delivered it to Velo on February 4, 1957. Velo allowed the Kellers full access to his operations, and after the Kellers learned of drawbacks with the belt-driven transmission, they developed and patented a more robust clutch-based transmission system in 1958. The new transmission became the basis of the Melroe M60 loader. The Kellers' uncle, an equipment dealer for the Melroe Manufacturing Company based in Gwinner, North Dakota, suggested that Melroe market the machines, resulting in Melroe inviting the Kellers to exhibit at the 1958

Minnesota State Fair The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Also known by its slogan, "The Great Minnesota Get-Together", it is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance and the second-largest state f ...

. Melroe introduced the four-wheeled M400 model "Skid-Steer Loader" in 1960, and began using "Bobcat" as a trade name for such products in 1962 on the 440-model loader. Les Melroe and advertising agent Lynn Bickett settled on the "Bobcat" name while exchanging name ideas during a drive between

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

and Gwinner. Bickett and Sylvan Melroe developed the "tough, quick, and agile" slogan used in advertising the early loaders. In 1969, Melroe Manufacturing Company was purchased by

Clark Equipment Company Clark Equipment Company was an American designer, manufacturer, and seller of industrial and construction machinery and equipment. History Clark's predecessor was the George R. Rich Manufacturing Company, founded in 1903 in Chicago, Illinoi ...

which was then purchased by Ingersoll-Rand in 1995. In 2007, Ingersoll-Rand sold Clark Equipment Company to the

Doosan Group Doosan Group () is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation. In 2009, the corporation was placed in the ''Fortune'' Global 500 index. It is the parent company of Bobcat and Škoda Power. Doosan Group is the oldest running company i ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, along with the rest of its construction equipment group for US$4.9 billion. The Clark Equipment Company now does business as Bobcat Company. Bobcat Company owns worldwide trademark registrations for its "Bobcat" name. On January 1, 2018, Doosan Infracore and Doosan Bobcat were separated into independent companies, ending a seven-year relationship. In July 2021, Doosan Infracore was acquired by Hyundai Heavy Industries, which paid approximately $722.45 million for a 30% controlling stake in the company. Doosan Infracore will become a subsidiary of the newly created Hyundai Genuine group. However, Bobcat remained a part of Doosan Group, as its majority shareholder has changed to

Doosan Heavy Industries Doosan Enerbility Co., Ltd., formerly known as Doosan Heavy Industries, is a heavy industrial company headquartered in Changwon, South Korea. It was established in 1962. Its business includes manufacturing and construction of nuclear power ...

on July 1, 2021, before the sale of Doosan Infracore.

References

External links

Bobcat Company website
{{KRX 100 companies Companies based in Fargo–Moorhead Agricultural machinery manufacturers of the United States Construction equipment manufacturers of the United States Manufacturing companies based in North Dakota West Fargo, North Dakota American subsidiaries of foreign companies 1969 mergers and acquisitions 1995 mergers and acquisitions 2007 mergers and acquisitions Doosan Group subsidiaries Manufacturing companies established in 1947 1947 establishments in North Dakota Diesel engine manufacturers