Bell Equipment opens German plant

South African heavy equipment manufacturer, Bell Equipment, has officially opened its first overseas production plant. Located in Eisenach, Germany, the plant will assemble ADTs for the European and North American markets.

According to Eric Lerche, regional director for Bell Equipment, the new plant serves as a symbol of the company's commitment to the European market and will help it to increase its ADT market share. The company claims to have a 20% European market share and anticipates this increasing to 25% in 2005. 

"Previously all our components such as engines and transmissions, sourced in Europe had to be shipped to South Africa, where they were then assembled. The finished product was then shipped back to Europe," said Lerche. "By eliminating this unnecessary shipping and extra handling we will improve our delivery time by four to six weeks."

The first B40D unit has now come off the Eisenach production line, with the company commenting that its entire ADT range (excluding the B20D) will be assembled in Germany. During 2004 it expects to produce 400 units, a figure that is expected to double over the next few years.

The company's latest B50D 50t ADT is currently undergoing trials and is expected to be released for export during next year's Bauma exhibition. "The new plant has the capacity to assemble this machine once it has established itself in Europe," said Lerche.