Doosan Bobcat expands factory in Chennai, India to manufacture mini excavators

Industry

Published: 05 Jun. 2024, 15:09 Updated: 05 Jun. 2024, 18:05

Doosan Bobcat expands factory in Chennai, India to manufacture mini excavators

Doosan Bobcat Vice Chairman Scott Park, fourth from left, and President of Asia, Latin America and Oceania Park Hyung-won, third from left, visit the company's factory in Chennai, India. [DOOSAN BOBCAT]

Doosan Bobcat, a construction equipment manufacturer based in Bundang, Gyeonggi, finished construction of its manufacturing facilities for mini excavators at its factory in Chennai, India.

The company’s India branch aims to double its annual sales volume by 2028 by selling a total of 8,900 units of heavy equipment produced at its factory in Chennai and portable power products from its factory in Bengaluru.

The Chennai factory, which manufactures backhoe loaders for the global market and started production of skid-steer loaders last year, was built in 2019. The India branch has seen an average growth of 22 percent in sales revenue annually in the five years since the addition of the Chennai factory, according to the company.

With the new facility, the factory will add mini excavators to its production lineup.

Backhoe loaders are drivable machines that are fitted with a shovel on the front and a backhoe on the back while skid-steer loaders are machines that have arms to attach to buckets or other tools. Both can be used to push, carry and load items or dig and level ground. Due to their relatively small size and versatility, they are often used in urban engineering and small construction projects.

Doosan Bobcat celebrated the completion of the new facilities in a ceremony attended by company executives including Vice Chairman Scott Park and Park Hyung-won, President of Asia, Latin America and Oceania, on Tuesday.

The 11,300-square-meter (122,000-square-feet) facility took nine months to complete. It will start operations next year after installing equipment for production lines and running safety checks.

"India is a key region that will propel Doosan Bobcat’s future growth,” Vice Chairman Park said. “The Chennai factory will leap to become a global manufacturing hub based on its quality that meets global standards."

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]