Joel Honeyman, Bobcat’s vp for international innovation, talks candidly concerning the groundbreaking new know-how the OEM is engaged on and explains why, nevertheless superior the machine is, it’s vital by no means to lose sight of its major capabilities – digging holes and shifting 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 by means of 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 type the center of the Bobcat lineup carry out unimaginable vehicular acrobatics to the delight of the crowds, Honeyman tells us concerning the pondering and progressive processes behind these machines, in addition to revealing among the OEM’s plans for the long run.
With 28 years of expertise at Bobcat, Honeyman is aware of the OEM in addition to anybody. He has been vp for international innovation for over 9 years, however he began his profession within the firm’s coaching group in 1997, earlier than shifting into gross sales. “I really feel like I’ve a great perspective on our prospects and what they’re searching for – what’s vital to them,” he says.
On the core of his ethos is not only dreaming up progressive ideas, however constructing them and making ready the know-how for the market he is aware of so nicely. “What we do is, we make issues plausible. That’s the primary factor,” he says. “I’d put our group up towards anyone’s round, only for taking an idea and making it plausible, not only a PowerPoint presentation, however bodily having the ability to current one thing as a possible answer.”
Industrial improvements
One eye-catching idea, and former iVT cowl star, is Bobcat’s cabless Rogue X, which was first unveiled at ConExpo in 2023. Consistent with the OEM’s ethos the applied sciences that had been first showcased on that machine should not merely good concepts, however are actually really discovering their approach into manufacturing automobiles.
“That car confirmed an idea we name Collision-Warning and Avoidance. That’s the identical know-how that we’re now commercializing,” says Honeyman. “These idea machines are actually vital for us. We take a look at a whole lot of totally 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 would detect that and robotically cease.”
A second main innovation for the long run entails autonomous know-how for landscaping: “We’re going to have an autonomous zero-turn mower in america as a restricted launch subsequent 12 months in the direction of the tip of 2026.”
The 62in huge 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 may set a sample that isn’t random. This implies it will probably 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 course.”
On monitor for autonomy
Whereas the brand new mower will probably be Bobcat’s first industrial, totally autonomous and cabless machine, it received’t be Bobcat’s first foray into autonomous methods. Already out there is the battery electrical articulating tractor, the AT450X which was unveiled at CES in 2024 and may 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 will probably find out about and react to its atmosphere – distinguishing crop stems from weeds for exact spraying and detecting objects that require operation to cease.
An progressive function of the AT450X is its potential to function constantly by managing its personal energy wants through a battery-swapping system. When the battery runs low, it robotically returns to its house base and a completely charged battery might 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 by means of digital developments.”
The collaboration with Agtonomy, which guarantees to yield additional improvements sooner or later, is a pure extension of distant methods that Bobcat has been providing for its machines since 2019. These are actually evolving, too, and in such a approach that might additionally assist to sort out a scarcity in employees.
“We’re including some totally different options to distant methods,” 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 want to mix gaming with that.” This might even someday 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 possibly simply assist a present operator be higher, particularly new and novice operators.”
Electrification with objective
On the subject of electrification, Bobcat’s T7X tracked loader, which is on the market immediately, is one thing of a market chief when it comes to going totally electrical and utterly hydraulic-free – changing not solely the engine with a battery but in addition fluid energy with electrical motors. Its accomplice, 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 know-how for know-how’s sake. “Frankly talking, I believe what we’ve realized 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 could be?
“Sustainability is vital, however it has to return with another advantages as nicely, as a result of the client is making some trade-offs, like value and charging. So, you’ve received to offer them one thing a bit of extra. That’s why T7X is so well-liked – 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 deal with 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 among the most superior know-how out there, he doesn’t lose web site of the identical easy targets that every one Bobcat prospects have. “All our prospects dig holes and transfer supplies,” he says. “They do it with totally different supplies and machines, however that’s basically what they’re all doing. So, what do they need? Effectively, they wish to dig the outlet sooner and extra precisely. Or they wish to transfer issues safely, and extra comfortably.”
Damaged down like this Honeyman is in a position to make sure that Bobcat’s innovation is all the time sensible, and that it stays grounded in reaching helpful duties extra effectively. He’s additionally capable of deliver clear understanding to an accelerating price of change. “It’s not that onerous,” he smiles.
The innovation course of
Joel Honeyman relies at Bobcat HQ in North Dakota however his international tasks take him all world wide. In notably 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 immediately,” he says. “We do street journeys. In reality, my group is in Omaha, Nebraska, this week. Over three days we’re displaying totally different teams of shoppers a lot of new improvements that we’re engaged on.”
These periods assist prioritise improvement efforts: “Possibly we are going to present them 10 various things after which we ask them for his or her prime three, and ask what they could be prepared to pay for them. We are able to’t fall in love with our personal thought. It’s received to have a objective, and prospects should 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 only received’t use it. It doesn’t matter how nice the know-how is. Innovation and know-how is not only concerning the know-how, however it’s about that human interplay. The intersection of these two parts is critically vital.
This text first appeared within the June difficulty of iVT Worldwide
