Joel Honeyman, Bobcat’s vice chairman for international innovation, talks candidly concerning the groundbreaking new expertise the OEM is engaged on and explains why, nonetheless superior the machine is, it’s vital by no means to lose sight of its main capabilities – digging holes and transferring issues round
We meet Joel Honeyman, Bobcat’s international director of innovation, on the busy and noisy Bobcat stand at Bauma 2025. After introductions, we retreat to the relative quiet of the first-floor hospitality suite for our chat – though via the glass doorways onto the balcony we nonetheless can see, in addition to hear, the spectacular Bobcat car demonstration.
Because the skidsteers and monitor loaders that kind the center of the Bobcat lineup carry out unimaginable vehicular acrobatics to the delight of the crowds, Honeyman tells us concerning the considering and revolutionary processes behind these machines, in addition to revealing a number of the OEM’s plans for the longer term.
With 28 years of expertise at Bobcat, Honeyman is aware of the OEM in addition to anybody. He has been vice chairman for international innovation for over 9 years, however he began his profession within the firm’s coaching group in 1997, earlier than transferring into gross sales. “I really feel like I’ve perspective on our prospects and what they’re in search of – what’s vital to them,” he says.
On the core of his ethos isn’t just dreaming up revolutionary ideas, however constructing them and getting ready the expertise for the market he is aware of so effectively. “What we do is, we make issues plausible. That’s the primary factor,” he says. “I’d put our crew up in opposition to anyone’s round, only for taking an idea and making it plausible, not only a PowerPoint presentation, however bodily with the ability to current one thing as a possible resolution.”
Business improvements
One eye-catching idea, and former iVT cowl star, is Bobcat’s cabless Rogue X, which was first unveiled at ConExpo in 2023. In line with the OEM’s ethos the applied sciences that have been first showcased on that machine aren’t merely good concepts, however are actually really discovering their manner into manufacturing autos.
“That car confirmed an idea we name Collision-Warning and Avoidance. That’s the identical expertise that we’re now commercializing,” says Honeyman. “These idea machines are actually vital for us. We have a look at a whole lot of completely different applied sciences. Now we’re going again and saying, ‘Okay, what are the items that we will apply to our present merchandise?’ The system implies that if a machine is backing up and it senses an object, it’s going to detect that and robotically cease.”
A second main innovation for the longer term entails autonomous expertise for landscaping: “We’re going to have an autonomous zero-turn mower in the US as a restricted launch subsequent yr in the direction of the tip of 2026.”
The 62in broad industrial mower will differ from residential robotic mowers acquainted in Europe. “Europe has a whole lot of Roomba-style, random mowers,” Honeyman says. “This one, although, you possibly can set a sample that isn’t random. This implies it may mow in stripes and patterns, which is vital within the US. It made sense for that platform to be first in our lineup with full autonomy, as a result of it’s a single utility. Mowers are already going that path.”
On monitor for autonomy
Whereas the brand new mower will probably be Bobcat’s first industrial, absolutely autonomous and cabless machine, it received’t be Bobcat’s first foray into autonomous programs. Already accessible is the battery electrical articulating tractor, the AT450X which was unveiled at CES in 2024 and might function in handbook, distant or autonomous mode, all managed through a cellular utility.
Developed as a part of an ongoing collaboration with San Francisco startup, Agtonomy, the battery-powered AT450X is designed particularly for compact purposes like vineyards and orchards. Utilizing AI, it may study and react to its surroundings – distinguishing crop stems from weeds for exact spraying and detecting objects that require operation to cease.
An revolutionary characteristic of the AT450X is its potential to function repeatedly by managing its personal energy wants through a battery-swapping system. When the battery runs low, it robotically returns to its residence base and a completely charged battery will be swapped out for the depleted one, which might in flip be placed on cost.
The AT450X goals to deal with labour shortages and improve sustainability. “Farmers work lengthy hours in all kinds of situations,” says Honeyman. “Options just like the AT450X assist make farming significantly extra sustainable and environment friendly via digital developments.”
The collaboration with Agtonomy, which guarantees to yield additional improvements sooner or later, is a pure extension of distant programs that Bobcat has been providing for its machines since 2019. These are actually evolving, too, and in such a manner that might additionally assist to deal with a scarcity in employees.
“We’re including some completely different options to distant programs,” says Honeyman. “We’re engaged on a gaming controller, which we’ve had a whole lot of requests for. Younger folks don’t wish to simply sit within the machine, however they wish to do development – so we need to mix gaming with that.” This might even sooner or later result in one operator controlling a number of machines concurrently in a swarm.
“Our thesis on autonomy doesn’t essentially take away the operator,” says Honeyman. “There are a whole lot of issues that act like autonomy that may perhaps simply assist a present operator be higher, particularly new and novice operators.”
Electrification with goal
In relation to electrification, Bobcat’s T7X tracked loader, which is accessible at this time, is one thing of a market chief by way of going absolutely electrical and fully hydraulic-free – changing not solely the engine with a battery but additionally fluid energy with electrical motors. Its associate, the wheeled S7X skidsteer is now being ready for full manufacturing.
However, as with all Bobcat machines, Honeyman is eager to level out that this isn’t simply expertise for expertise’s sake. “Frankly talking, I believe what we’ve discovered on this transition to EVs is it needs to be extra than simply saying it’s sustainable,” says Honeyman. “What are the opposite advantages? Can I get extra energy? Can I get extra precision, extra torque, no matter that is likely to be?
“Sustainability is vital, nevertheless it has to come back with another advantages as effectively, as a result of the client is making some trade-offs, like value and charging. So, you’ve bought to present them one thing slightly extra. That’s why T7X is so common – prospects say, ‘I can get extra completed, and I can get it completed far more comfortably, with out noise.’”
Wanting forward Honeyman sees the three megatrends of electrification, connectivity and automation converging: “Whereas three or 4 years in the past, there was an enormous concentrate on EVs, now we’re seeing extra stability with different applied sciences. However we’ve been engaged on all of it, so I be ok with it.”
Finally Honeyman takes a realistic method – even whereas coping with a number of the most superior expertise accessible, he doesn’t lose web site of the identical easy objectives that every one Bobcat prospects have. “All our prospects dig holes and transfer supplies,” he says. “They do it with completely different supplies and machines, however that’s primarily what they’re all doing. So, what do they need? Properly, they wish to dig the opening sooner and extra precisely. Or they wish to transfer issues safely, and extra comfortably.”
Damaged down like this Honeyman is ready to make sure that Bobcat’s innovation is at all times sensible, and that it stays grounded in attaining helpful duties extra effectively. He’s additionally capable of deliver clear understanding to an accelerating fee of change. “It’s not that arduous,” he smiles.
The innovation course of
Joel Honeyman is predicated at Bobcat HQ in North Dakota however his international obligations take him all world wide. In significantly Honeyman locations buyer suggestions on the coronary heart of the innovation course of, which entails many web site visits.
“We take out ideas in a short time to our prospects to get suggestions straight away,” he says. “We do street journeys. The truth is, my crew is in Omaha, Nebraska, this week. Over three days we’re displaying completely different teams of shoppers quite a lot of new improvements that we’re engaged on.”
These classes assist prioritise improvement efforts: “Possibly we are going to present them 10 various things after which we ask them for his or her high three, and ask what they is likely to be prepared to pay for them. We will’t fall in love with our personal concept. It’s bought to have a goal, and prospects need to need it.”
Simplicity is one other crucial issue: “It additionally needs to be easy for the operator, as a result of if it’s not, they simply received’t use it. It doesn’t matter how nice the expertise is. Innovation and expertise isn’t just concerning the expertise, nevertheless it’s about that human interplay. The intersection of these two parts is critically vital.
This text first appeared within the June problem of iVT Worldwide
