Increasing global demand for articulated dump trucks has led to Bell Equipment announcing that it is expanding its South African facilities. The company plans to build a new production line at its Richards Bay site in KawZulu-Natal and a distribution centre in Gauteng near Jahannesburg. According to Bell CEO Gary Bell, the new production facilities will increase production capacity by 60% taking the site from its current 2500 unit per year limit to 4000 units. The development is expected to cost ZAR120milli
Increasing global demand for articulated dump trucks has led to Bell Equipment announcing that it is expanding its South African facilities. The company plans to build a new production line at its Richards Bay site in KawZulu-Natal and a distribution centre in Gauteng near Jahannesburg.
According to Bell CEO Gary Bell, the new production facilities will increase production capacity by 60% taking the site from its current 2500 unit per year limit to 4000 units. The development is expected to cost ZAR120million (€10million) and the first machines are expected to roll off the production line in 2009.
The company’s new ZAR190milllion (€5.8million) distribution centre, which includes a new global logistics centre, is currently under construction next to Bell’s existing Jet Park facility.
“We are looking to grow the used machinery, parts and service areas of our business,” explained Bell. “The new Global Logistics Centre will enable us to offer our customers increased uptime through superior parts availability.” The expansion projects are being driven by record turnover and Bell said that the company sales were being driven by major government infrastructure drives in key world markets, the healthy commodity cycle which is stimulating mine development, the world’s hunger for energy, especially coal, and industry compensating for the lean years during which time it did not invest in yellow metal.
