WEST FARGO, N.D. - Compact equipment manufacturer Bobcat Co., West Fargo, N.D., recently announced the purchase of Superstav, s.r.o., a manufacturer of compact loader-backhoes based in Dobrís, Czech Republic, and its subsidiary EarthForce America Inc. of Charleston, S.C.
The acquisition includes Superstav's line of compact loader-backhoe products - marketed under the EarthForce brand - and its Dobrís manufacturing plant located outside Prague. Company founder Chris Nielsen will continue as president of Superstav, which employs 200 in its design and manufacturing operations. Since he started the company five years ago, Nielsen has focused on developing and manufacturing a range of six fully hydrostatic, compact loader-backhoes with digging depths ranging from 9 to 13 feet. The products are sold primarily in the utility, light construction and rental markets.
| Ingersoll-Rand Second-Quarter Earnings Drop |
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. - Bobcat Co. parent company Ingersoll-Rand said July 19 that second-quarter income dropped 64 percent due to weak demand. The Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey-based company reported earnings from continuing operations of $91 million, compared with $177.7 million. Revenues from continuing operations rose 2.7 percent to $2.29 billion. Reported net income was $62.9 million, compared with $175.4 million for the same period last year. Besides the Bobcat line of compact construction equipment, Ingersoll-Rand’s products also include Schlage locks, paving equipment, microturbines and truck refrigeration units. Ingersoll-Rand’s infrastructure sector, which includes Bobcat equipment, had a 9 percent decline in revenues as demand for new equipment declined. |
According to Chuck Hoge, president of the Bobcat Co. business unit of Ingersoll-Rand Co., the acquisition addresses two strategic opportunities for the company. "First, we are expanding our product range to include compact loader-backhoes, which represent a growing worldwide market segment and complement our ability to serve customers in the compact tool carrier market," he explained. "The EarthForce products are exceptional designs that have a high degree of component commonality with Bobcat products. They are also capable of utilizing a wide variety of current Bobcat attachments."
EarthForce loader-backhoes, which will continue to be marketed under the EarthForce brand, are currently sold through a network of independent dealers in North America, with limited distribution in Europe. Hoge said the products will be integrated into Bobcat distribution channels as production capacity increases.
Hoge also noted Superstav employee’s manufacturing and engineering capabilities as a strategic benefit of the acquisition. "Superstav provides us with low-cost manufacturing capacity and additional design engineering resources to support Bobcat growth plans for the future," he said. Superstav currently produces several attachments for Bobcat Co., including side-shift backhoes, hydraulic breaker frames used on loaders and excavators, and buckets for compact excavators.
Hoge added, "Through the Superstav acquisition, the compact loader-backhoe product complements our growth plans for the future and we will add new investment in production and engineering at the Dobrís plant.
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