Plant Equipment and Hire August 2017 | Page 14

“ BUSINESS Irvine Bell’s three sons have all been involved in the running of the business during its history.” 12 The first 25-ton B25A — the first in Bell’s range of A-series ADTs — was sold in 1985, and its resounding success led the company to expand the range with new models. When Bell launched its flagship 40-ton capacity ADT in 1989, the company’s team of employees had grown to 1 650 worldwide and in 2003, an assembly plant in Eisenach-Kindel, Germany, was brought online. The focus was now on further establishing the company as a global player. The company continues to lead ADT innovation, breaking new ground with the mining-focused 50-ton capacity B50D in 2004 and, more recently, with the 60-ton 4 × 4 B60D. In 2013, Bell also launched its E-series generation of ADTs in the form of the B25E and B30E. This was followed in 2016 with the launch of the Large Truck Programme — the B35E through to the B60E — to complete the E-series range. “Bell has retained the culture of a family business even though it is now a global-listed company and that makes it a very special company to work for,” says Tristan du Pisanie, ADT product marketing manager at Bell Equipment. Irvine Bell’s three sons have all been involved in the running of the business during its history. Gary is still the CEO, while Peter and Paul have been involved in the engineering and marketing aspects of the business. Purely South African original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) specialising in surface mining and construction equipment are few and far between in South Africa, with Bell and another family business, Dezzi Equipment, the only two currently operating in this space. Several South African OEMs are manufacturing underground equipment. Going under While Bell is also involved in the world of underground mining equipment, currently the bulk of its business remains on the surface. “But underground equipment is a focus area,” says Stephen McNeill, marketing manager alliances at Bell Equipment. “We first introduced underground trucks in 1987, which ran with a Deutz engine, in 1990, we launched the 15L, and in 1992, the 30L,” says Du Pisanie. In addition to the underground ADT, Bell has also developed and manufactured an underground rock scaler, based on its Tri- Wheeler platform. Bell’s largest underground ADT has a payload of 33 tonnes, although it has also released the smaller 20- and 30-tonners into the market. Although the lure of underground machines has not yet enticed Bell to enter that niche market aggressively, there are signs that the company is considering it as a way to diversify its product range. Both Du Pisanie and McNeill are enthusiastic about underground equipment; however, they both confirm that there is potential to grow in this area. The company has teamed up with AARD, another South African OEM that specialises in underground equipment, to assist it in the distribution of its underground offerings. “AARD talks to a lot more underground mines than we do, and such an arrangement makes perfect sense,” says Du Pisanie. AARD does not manufacture its own Bell Equipment employs a big contingent of local people at its facility in Richards Bay. AUGUST 2017