Doosan has taken over Rushlift Ltd. of Great Britain for 50 billion won, kicking off its strategy for its operations in Europe. Great Britain will now serve as its operational center in Europe.
Rushlift is a forklift company. Its operation includes leasing forklifts, sales of forklift parts, and sales of used forklifts. It has a call center and six outlets around Britain, said Doosan and investment banking sources.
Last year, Doosan took over Clear Edge Power in the U.S., a recycled energy development company, for $32.4 million. The Rushlift deal is the first for the company in the new year.
Doosan plans to not only try to expand the operation of Rushlift throughout Britain, but also in Europe as well. Doosan officials said Doosan and Rushlift have maintained cooperative relations for a long time and the takeover expands customers and creates synergy between Doosan and Rushlift.
Doosan Group has been busy preparing for the opening of the South Gyeongsang Province Creative Economy Reform Center under the auspices of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning in March or April. The group has mobilized two of its major affiliates, Doosan Heavy Industries and Doosan Infracore, to take charge of programs connected to the operation of the projected center.
To be located on the second floor of the Gyeongnam Changwon Science Technology Promotion Institute in Changwon, the center will provide office space and host various seminars for those who want to start new businesses. Of particular interest will be residents of Changwon, as Doosan intends to provide support to individuals who want to launch their own businesses.
The center is likely to be a go-between for small and large businesses, providing technology assistance to SMEs, helping them find international markets overseas.
The group has been extending its help to SMEs to grow together for a long time through units set up for that purpose, and exclusive funds to back up their operations.
Doosan Group has been playing the role of a mentor for SMEs. The group has been sending retired executives and outstanding managers to SMEs so they can take advantage of their well-earned experience when it comes to running a business. The group is confident that its business know-how could be of a great practical help when they are delivered to SMEs at the center.
Doosan Group has been pushing reform in key areas such as products and technology through fusion, a key word in the government’s Creative Economy Drive.
The group has been engaged in a project involving the fusion of ICT with power plant and construction machinery. Last year, Doosan Heavy Industries opened a remote control center for power plants at its head office in Changwon, and a Software Center at its Seoul office. The two offices have been working to improve and expand the usage of power plants and their effectiveness by analyzing large data and their operations.
Doosan Heavy Industries manufactures and supplies power generation equipment to power plants and, therefore, “big data” collected at the power plants directly by the company will come in handy when it comes to designing and producing heavy power generation equipment.
Doosan Infracore produced an excavator, a 38-ton DX380LC-3, which is controlled electronically by Eco-Power, a revolutionary technology. It is moved by a pressure sensor, which supplies just the right amount of power needed to operate the excavator, resulting in an improvement of the work capacity and reduction of fuel consumption. The actual survey showed that it saved 24 percent on fuel, while boosting control with joysticks and levers by 20 percent.
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