Bell Equipment Model 200 Grader
Heavy equipment manufacturer Bell Equipment has been growing its business organically by investing in the development and enhancement of products, increasing market share in key regions, such as the Middle East, and growing the Bell Heavy Industries (BHI) contract manufacturing business.
Bell Equipment CEO Ashley Bell says that the company has initiated discussions with potential customers to help stimulate the South African manufacturing sector through contract manufacturing.
Bell envisions providing contract manufacturing services to the construction, energy, mining and transport sectors.
He adds that the BHI initiative is still in its early stages, with systems and processes being put in place to deal with third-party clients, but Bell is confident it will gain further traction over the remainder of the year.
Responding to whether the company’s existing manufacturing facilities will need to be expanded to accommodate contract manufacturing, as well as new products that Bell Equipment will be manufacturing from 2025, Bell says the legacy plant it has in Richards Bay has the capability to accommodate the additional manufacturing, particularly as the company pursues a greater level of articulated dump truck (ADT) manufacturing at its German factory.
The company is also adequately staffed with manufacturing experts that can take on third-party manufacturing projects.
Bell Equipment aims to manufacture its northern hemisphere-bound ADTs closer to suppliers and markets, which leaves room in the South African facility for other types of manufacturing.
Among the new products that Bell Equipment will be manufacturing from 2025 are a Bell motor grader and a timber processing head.
The motor grader has been in development for four years and will take its place alongside the reputable Bell Equipment ADT line in the local and global market. Bell says extensive testing on the machine has ensured it has the durability and reliability expected from Bell Equipment.
The Bell motor grader marks a significant step forward in the company’s strategy to grow its own range of manufactured products for the global construction and mining industries, particularly as many graders in the market have been found to be insufficient and prone to failure.
The grader has been designed with varying emission regulations in international markets in mind, as well as different types of operator controls. It is engineered to operate in the most challenging and harsh environmental conditions
.