INTERNATIONAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
New Terex dealers in Belgium
The Matermaco Group is the new official
dealer for Terex Trucks in the Benelux
region in Europe. After supplying and
servicing Terex Trucks’ articulated haulers
at its Algerian dealership for many
years, Matermaco now also sells the
machines in Belgium, the Netherlands and
Luxembourg.
From its two locations in Belgium, the
Matermaco Group will cover the whole
of the Benelux region and will sell, rent
and service the Terex Trucks TA300 and
TA400 articulated haulers. Founded in
1946, Matermaco has more than 70 years’
experience in the Benelux region as well as
north Africa.
For Terex Trucks, the venture into the
Benelux market comes at the right time:
the construction sector in the region is set
to grow steadily over the next few years,
driven by a strong demand for residential
developments and office buildings. In
Belgium, the construction industry is
expected to grow by 5.1% by 2022. The
Dutch construction industry represents the
sector with the largest predicted expansion
within the Benelux region, and the
economy in the Netherlands is expected to
grow by around 5.5% in 2019.
Since August last year, the upgraded
TA300 has incorporated a new transmission
which helps to deliver a 5% improvement
in fuel efficiency as well as enhanced
performance, productivity and operator
comfort. The upgraded transmission comes
with two additional forward gears – eight
in total – as well as four reverse gears. This
helps to ensure smoother gear shifting and
superior operator comfort. The 28 tonne
TA300 is a popular choice for infrastructure
developments, commercial construction
projects and quarries. It is equipped with
true independent front suspension as
standard, resulting in excellent traction
control and operator comfort.
The TA400, the largest articulated
hauler on offer from Terex Trucks, has a
maximum payload of 38 tonnes and a
heaped capacity of 23.3m 3 . Designed to
meet the demands of the most extreme
operations, the robust articulated hauler
excels in large-scale construction projects,
quarries and mines. The planetary
gear transmission provides smooth,
efficient gear shifting for optimised
fuel consumption and reduced cost of
operation. Ground level test points and
a fully tilting cab, combined with an
electronically raised hood, ensure ease of
service and reduced downtime.
Bell releases reasonable results
“In this mature and highly competitive
market, our focus is on supporting the
dealer network to ensure that we have
the correct levels of support for sustained
growth,” he says.
Goosen says that while the South
American market is a small market
currently, the group is expanding its
footprint in terms of trucks, forestry and
sugar handling equipment. The Southeast
Asia and Oceania markets continue to
show solid growth.
The group experienced modest growth
in revenue in markets other than South
Africa. “However, global demand was not
as strong as anticipated,” Goosen explains,
which had led to higher than planned
JSE-listed Bell Equipment reported an 8%
increase in revenue to R4.04-billion for
the period ended 30 June. According to
Leon Goosen, CEO of Bell, these results
were reasonable considering the tough
operating and economic conditions in many
of the markets in which Bell operates.
“The strong and diversified position that
we occupy globally has been advantageous
in countering the more difficult operating
geographies,” says Goosen.
Goosen adds that North America
remains a key area for growth for the
group, with its products having been very
well accepted in that market. The potential
to grow the dealer network and market
share as a result was therefore good.
Bell Equipment’s factory in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal.
www.equipmentandhire.co.za
inventory and debt levels and a resultant
increase in financing costs. Production
volumes have been decreased in line with
expected demand. “We are expecting that
inventory and debt levels will normalise in
the coming months,” he says.
South Africa remains a primary market
for the group, where the full product and
service line is positioned for eventual
market recovery. During the period under
review, the South African economy
remained weak and we saw trading
conditions deteriorate further on the
back of prolonged economic uncertainty
and a lack of much anticipated economic
stimulus.
In Africa, the Bell African dealer network
experienced stronger sales, particularly in
Botswana and Tanzania.
In Europe, demand in the UK remains
strong but weakness in the British Pound
impacted margins. A number of specific
projects merit an optimistic view for this
region and Bell continues to monitor the
Brexit situation and its impact on future
equipment demand.
“The rest of the European dealer
network continues to perform well, with
pleasing growth in Germany, France and
Russia, with the group’s products again
being well received at Bauma Munich, the
premier global exhibition for construction
and mining equipment in Europe.”
NOVEMBER 2019
7