Doosan Bobcat has announced the opening of its new European headquarters in Dobříš, Czech Republic. The campus, which consists of newly-erected buildings, houses the company’s management and other employees, and complements the production plant and the training and innovation center where Bobcat machines are created for Europe and the rest of the world.
This year, the company’s investments in Dobříš will reach €20 million. In 2018, Doosan Bobcat’s revenue for the EMEA region amounted to €765 million, with the Dobříš factory producing a record 17,206 machines. This year, the company plans to increase production by 20% and break through the barrier of 20,000 machines for the first time.
Bobcat’s history dates back 60 years and has become synonymous with skid steer loaders in most of the world. It has been operating in the Czech Republic since 2001. A major development came in 2007 with the construction of a new production plant for loaders and mini-excavators and the takeover by the global Doosan Group. In addition to the new production capacities, Doosan Bobcat has also built an extensive training center, and, above all, an innovation center. The development of the entire campus is symbolically crowned by the opening of the company’s EMEA headquarters, which moved from Waterloo, Belgium, to Dobříš, Czech Republic.
Worth EUR 10 million, the three-storey headquarters building covers a surface area of 1,561 m2and will offer more than 3,370 m2of office space for 200 employees. Investments were also made to create more than 7,000 m2of green areas around the building. The ample parking facilities include charging stations for electric vehicles.
“With the opening of the new headquarters in Dobříš, we are completing an investment which – thanks to the concentration of development, production and management of the company in one place – is of socio-economic importance for the whole region and exceptional within our industry,” says Gustavo Otero, President of Doosan Bobcat EMEA. “During Doosan Bobcat’s operations in the Czech Republic, we have invested approximately EUR 120 million, increased production five-fold, and more than tripled the number of employees. In the future, we expect a further recruitment of blue-collar professionals and expert positions in development.”
