Well prepared for global upswing

“We are hugely satisfied with Intermat 2018,” comment Gary Bell and Leon Goosen, the outgoing and incoming Group Chief Executive Officers of the global ADT specialist, Bell Equipment. The Parisian show was the last global event before the official handover of the company’s CEO position to Leon Goosen and Gary Bell’s appointment as non-executive chairman of the board of the Bell Group, both scheduled for 1 June 2018. “Our aim was to demonstrate our commitment to the global ADT market and we succeeded with in-depth interactions with customers and partners throughout the show,” adds Leon Goosen.

Bell Equipment’s leadership highlight the strong interest of French customers in all ADT-related sectors. “We were able to welcome existing and prospective customers from our national and southern European market regions. In addition to the numerous and promising leads, we experienced an optimistic sentiment about the market from our distributors and their customers,” says Céline Gutierrez, Managing Director of Bell Equipment France. “We’re ready to meet these demands with our highly motivated team and a growing variety of products which offer the right solution for individual requirements.”

Leon Goosen (CEO Designate), Gary Bell (CEO) and Céline Gutierrez (Managing Director Bell France) were all well pleased with the company’s success at Intermat 2018.

From a niche into the mainstream

The most recent example of how Bell Equipment identifies customer needs and translates them into competitive solutions, is the ADT specialist’s new range of articulated 4x4 trucks. Following the successful introduction of the sixty-tonner Bell B60E two years ago, this year’s focus was on the B30E 4x4. Sharing the proven base of the company’s conventional three-axle thirty-tonner, the new two-axle truck offers important advantages for operations that do not require extreme 6x6 off-road capability.

“The Bell B30E 4x4 is an alternative for smaller quarries or other operations within the aggregates sectors. Without the typical tyre scuff that a three-axle ADT experiences when operating on harder surfaces, the articulated two-axle concept guarantees substantial savings in tyre wear,” explains Tristan du Pisanie, ADT Product Marketing Manager. “Not only does the tyre scuff compromise tyre life, it also damages the road surface. Therefore, the two-axle truck reduces site maintenance requirements.”

Thanks to the 4x4 drivetrain, the Bell B30E can safely operate in more challenging conditions than conventional rigid quarry trucks, tippers or tractor trailer combinations. “Our 4x4 customers do not have to stop operations due to rain,” says du Pisanie, “and many of these B60- or B30-owners have been able to extend their normal operating season or even use their 4x4 ADT for stripping of overburden.”

The positive customer feedback on both the B60E and the B30E 4x4 has led Bell Equipment to present the B45E 4x4 as an addition to its 4x4 ADT range. The two-axle version of the B45E with twin-tyres on the rear axle, delivers all advantages of the 4x4 concept for payloads over 40 tonnes. “It is envisaged that this will become an alternative to 4x2 rigid trucks in medium to large quarries or mining operations.”

“Today we are offering the most comprehensive 6x6 range with seven models providing payloads from 18,0 to 45,4 tonnes. Our new 4x4 quarry trucks provide a specific solution to a specific customer need and we look forward to both adding value and increasing our presence in the market,” explains du Pisanie.

Product Manager Tristan du Pisanie expects strong growth in demand globally for Bell Equipment’s ADT solutions.

Important global investments

To meet the growing global demand for Bell Trucks which recorded a +30% increase in unit sales in 2017, the company announced a major investment in its global production and aftersales structures.

A new 12.000m² facility will be built at Bell Equipment’s European ADT plant in Kindel-Eisenach, Germany to accommodate the fabrication of all ADT bins for the Northern Hemisphere. The significant investment will be operational from the 2^nd quarter 2019. “Most of the high-quality steel for our bodies is sourced in Europe, therefore this will optimise our supply logistics and allow us to react quickly to customer demand,” explains Tristan du Pisanie. The decision will not affect capacity at the South African production headquarters in Richards Bay. “We are experiencing an upswing in all ADT markets around the world. As a supplier, we want to guarantee short lead times and good availability throughout our whole range,” says du Pisanie. Part of this is the commencement of two-shift production at Eisenach from the middle of this year to meet the growing demand.

Another important investment in 2018 is the commencement of the new American Logistics Centre (ALC). Located in North Carolina, the facility will be ideally positioned to service the expanding dealer network and rapidly growing truck population in North America. The ALC will operate in cooperation with the company’s European Logistic Centre in Germany and the Global Logistics Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.