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Bobcat Celebrates 60 years of Pontchâteau, France Factory

Posted: 6 September 2023

Bobcat’s factory in Pontchâteau in France traces its history back to the early 20th century when Joseph Sambron transformed his school bench factory into a hub for farm machinery and bicycles. By 1920, the factory employed hundreds of workers and produced flour mills and cider presses. Following Joseph's retirement, his son Maurice ventured into mini-dumper production, selling over 50,000 units, and paving the way for the construction of the present-day Pontchâteau plant in 1963. The new facility specialized in off-road dumpers and forklifts.

Today, the factory is renowned for its production of telescopic handlers, which commenced in the early 1980s under the Sambron brand and was then acquired by the Fayat Group. Under the new ownership, Sambron became FDI Sambron and introduced hydrostatic telescopic handlers. In 2000, FDI Sambron was acquired by American corporation, Ingersoll-Rand, which also owned the Bobcat brand. Consequently, FDI Sambron transformed into Bobcat France. In 2007, Bobcat was acquired by the South Korean group, Doosan, and continues to operate as part of the Doosan Bobcat EMEA company.

Thirty thousand telehandlers made in France

In 2023, the French factory achieved an impressive milestone, when it manufactured its 111,000th machine. Out of this figure, around 30,000 of the machines have been telehandlers proudly carrying the Bobcat signature logo and typical white and orange colours.