BOBCAT COMPANY is a key division of the Doosan Group, a global leader in construction, grounds maintenance, and material handling equipment, as well as power and water solutions. Under the widely recognized Bobcat brand, the company offers a range of compact machinery, including skid-steer loaders, compact excavators, side-by-sides, compact tractors, and other hydraulic equipment. Known for durability and versatility, Bobcat equipment serves diverse industries such as construction, agriculture, and landscaping, delivering reliable solutions for both large-scale projects and specialized tasks.

With major operational hubs in North Dakota (USA), Dobříš (Czech Republic), and Bundang (South Korea), Bobcat is one of the few manufacturing companies with a truly global reach. These locations allow the company to efficiently serve key markets across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, ensuring products and support are readily available to customers worldwide.

Bobcat dealers encountered several obstacles in effectively maintaining their onsite equipment, largely due to the absence of real-time access to essential asset information. Without live updates on equipment status, dealers often missed critical data such as fuel levels, exact locations, diagnostic fault codes, upcoming service intervals, and even security alerts. This information gap posed a risk to operational efficiency and led to potential delays in addressing maintenance needs.

Given the dispersed and often remote locations of the equipment, there was a pressing need for a mobile solution that would allow dealers to access all necessary equipment data directly from their mobile devices, regardless of their physical location. Such a solution would provide timely insights, empowering field teams to respond swiftly to maintenance needs and minimize downtime.

The project, however, came with its own challenges. Not only was there a tight development timeline to bring this mobile solution to life, but the initiative also had to be executed with limited resources. Balancing these constraints with the need for a high-quality, reliable solution underscored the complexity of the endeavor, highlighting the importance of strategic planning and efficient execution to meet the dealers’ requirements.

Built for scalability and ease of use, this app integrates Bobcat’s existing infrastructure to enhance dealer access to maintenance data and operational insights, all while minimizing costs and speeding deployment. Key technical components include:

• Global mobile app designed for Android and iOS: To provide Bobcat dealers and service teams with on-the-go access to critical information, a cross-platform mobile app was developed, ensuring compatibility with both Android and iOS devices. This global reach allows teams across different regions to access the app seamlessly, regardless of their preferred device or location, ensuring a unified experience worldwide.
• Single database and code repository, using Ionic Framework: By using the Ionic Framework and establishing a single database and code repository, the development team created a streamlined, efficient solution that simplifies maintenance and future updates. This approach allows for consistent functionality and data integrity across platforms, reducing the time and resources required for ongoing management.
• CI/CD pipelines implemented to accelerate build times and delivery to Google and Apple Stores: Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines were introduced to automate and speed up the build and release process. With CI/CD, the app can be quickly updated and deployed to both Google Play and the Apple App Store, ensuring that users always have access to the latest features and improvements without delays.
• Use of modern front-end frameworks like Vue.js to maximize user experience: To provide a responsive and user-friendly interface, Vue.js was utilized as the primary front-end framework. Vue.js enables smooth, dynamic interactions and a mobile-native feel, making the app intuitive for users who rely on it daily for quick access to machine information and diagnostics.
• Re-use of all Bobcat existing APIs, reducing development cost and time to market: Instead of creating new APIs from scratch, the development team integrated Bobcat’s existing APIs, which connect directly to their internal systems. This approach not only saved considerable time and resources but also allowed for a faster time-to-market, providing users with the tools they need more quickly and at a lower cost.
• Use of machine data and authentication solutions provided by Bobcat: The app is built to leverage Bobcat’s proprietary machine data and authentication protocols, ensuring that all data is secure and aligned with Bobcat’s ecosystem. This integration gives users real-time access to critical machine data, such as diagnostics and maintenance information, enhancing operational efficiency and providing a high level of security and data protection.