by Dan Livingston, on July 12, 2024 at 10:49 AM
“Little grains that can build a mighty mountain.” That’s the meaning of Doosan. Founded in 1896, the company started as a small shop in Seoul, Korea, that produced and sold cosmetic powder and OB Beer. Their name is a combination of two Korean words. “Doo” is a single grain and “San” means mountain. Together, they speak to a founding ideal.
Conventional wisdom says, "Time will tell." In Doosan's case, it has. Nearly 130 years later, the Doosan Group holds 52% of Korea's domestic forklift market and is one of the largest forklift producers in the world. Once again, the Doosan Group is making big moves by shifting their forklift business to their Bobcat brand.
Read on to learn how this little grain grew into a mighty mountain and how the shift to Bobcat affects your business.
In the Beginning
Doosan made its first foray into industrial equipment in the 1960s and began forklift production in 1968. Initially, the company focused solely on Korea’s domestic market. However, by 1978, Doosan Infracore started exporting their first forklifts to Europe and the United States.
Doosan forklifts made a strong, positive impression in the United States among material handling organizations and equipment manufacturers. In 1983, Doosan secured an OEM contract with Caterpillar, marking the beginning of several collaborations between the two companies.
In 1993, another Korean industrial equipment company, Daewoo Equipment Corporation, emerged as a potential Doosan competitor in the United States. In 1994, Daewoo began manufacturing and selling forklifts designed by Caterpillar under the Daewoo forklift brand. However, by 1996, Caterpillar sold this popular forklift design to Doosan. By October 2000, Doosan’s forklift sales exceeded 200,000 units.
Modern Doosan
As Korea's oldest company, Doosan has a diverse portfolio of businesses spanning various industries. The company gathered these individual Doosan businesses under a conglomerate corporation, the Doosan Group. In 2005, the Doosan Group acquired Doosan Infracore, which handled forklift manufacturing.
After consolidating their various companies, the Doosan Group turned its eye to expansion. In 2005, they acquired Daewoo’s forklift manufacturing arm. Bobcat followed soon after. The Doosan Group acquired the Bobcat Company from Ingersoll Rand in 2007.
Bobcat's legacy of dependability and innovative industrial equipment designs made them a highly valued organization in the U.S. load handler market. The company continued to flourish under Doosan's management, and in 2015, the Bobcat Company rebranded to Doosan Bobcat Inc.
Doosan Bobcat: The Here and Now
At ProMat 2023, Doosan Bobcat announced their recent purchase of Doosan Industrial Vehicle from Doosan Infracore. This change moved Doosan’s forklift manufacturing group under the Bobcat brand, eliminating the brand distinction between Doosan’s forklifts and other industrial equipment in North America and Europe. Additionally, this move combines forklifts with Bobcat’s other industrial equipment, reducing inefficiencies and allowing Doosan forklifts to leverage the more recognizable Bobcat brand.
Doosan Bobcat and You
Effectively, only the branding has changed. The Bobcat forklifts you'll see in the near future are still the Doosan quality you know and love. In fact, we already have new Doosan Bobcat forklifts in stock. Likewise, we will continue to service and repair Daewoo and Doosan forklifts. So whether you're planning on investing in a new forklift or want to keep your current Doosan and Daewoo forklifts running, we're here to help. If you need service or sales support for other Bobcat equipment, please use the Bobcat Dealer Locator. Just select the kind of equipment you are looking to purchase or have serviced, and this will help you find the closest dealer. To learn more about Doosan Bobcat or to request a service quote for your forklift, contact us online or visit your local Mid Columbia Forklift.
Auburn 253-854-5438
Pasco 509-547-7413
Wenatchee 509-663-9009
Yakima 509-457-5137
Further Reading
- Keep These 5 Replacement Parts at the Ready for Your Doosan Forklifts
- Why You Should Invest in Doosan Electric Forklifts
- Product Review: Doosan DV 250S-7 Heavy-Duty Forklift
