MANUFACTURING
HOME-GROWN
DESIGN FROM DEZZI
By Kim Kemp
During times when the competition is so fierce, so unequal,
and so cut-throat, smaller operations have to offer something
that the more ‘muscled’ opposition cannot.
C
ompeting with established,
international OEMs is well and
good when you have equal
muscle; but when you are a smaller,
local manufacturer, you must have
something else to offer to gain a
foothold in the fiercely competitive
sector of plant machinery. One such
proudly South African manufacturing
company is family-owned
Dezzi Equipment.
14
SEPTEMBER 2018
The idyllic south coast of KwaZulu-Natal,
with its acres of macadamia nuts and
endless beaches, is home to Dezzi
Equipment’s head office, located in the
quiet town of Port Shepstone. But don’t
let the apparent stupor of south-coast
living fool you; there is industry aplenty
and Dezzi’s machines are there — moving
earth, quarry material, lumber, and more.
Dezzi? I hear you say. I don’t blame
you for your puzzled look. By admission,
Carl Gutzeit, MD and son of the South
African-born company, says, “We have
intentionally flown under the radar,” to
the extent that even some locals don’t
know about the sleeping giant in their
midst. Whether this is an indication of
the company’s modesty — or whether
it’s a marketing ploy — is irrelevant. The
reality is, Dezzi Equipment is one of
only two local yellow metal equipment
manufacturers — and they are flourishing