MANUFACTURING
Final assembly line and PDI bays, this is the last stage before customer delivery.
direction on any module or specialised
build-up, however, we can do so quickly
because we are flexible and
not automated.”
Of the Dezzi portfolio, the most popular
items are the tractors and wheel loaders,
specifically the H120T, in both four- and
two-wheel drive, Jackson comments.
“Second is our H80 and then our H140.”
The machines that take the longest to
produce is the timber truck, “and the
3500 wheel loader,” Jackson comments.
Assembly alone for the timber truck can
take two weeks, Edmonds adds.
According to the factory manager, the
greatest challenge in the manufacturing
process is the time constraints, from keen
customers who want their machine ‘Now!’
“Most times we make it happen,” he says
with a grin, underscoring that, while Dezzi
is not a huge OEM, it is the small teams
that afford it flexibility to accommodate
sometimes unrealistic timeframes —
16
SEPTEMBER 2018
something a more cumbersome, larger
operation may struggle to fulfil.
With a total staff complement of
between 90 and 95, the factory staff can
work on every aspect of the machine,
ensuring back-up during absenteeism.
In the words of Gutzeit, “We all wear
many caps.”
Training is ongoing as workers move
through the ranks, and the staff turnover is
negligible, with many employees staying
with the company for decades. Jackson
adds, “Considering most of our fabrication
workforce is contractual, our staff turnover
is very good.”
The machines undergo extensive
testing once they roll off the factory floor,
as well as being taken for a test drive to
see that everything is functioning to spec.
Asked to name the biggest challenge
to date that the company has undertaken
to manufacture, with one voice, the
Dezzi executives say, “The skidder!”
This machine was devised, designed,
and rolled off the floor in just six months.
Designed from scratch and weighing in at
11.5 tonnes, the behemoth is a bespoke
piece of equipment for use in the forestry
sector. “While it was unlike anything
we had every designed and made, we
worked in existing components for speed
of delivery and ease of design,” Edmonds
explains. The market for this piece of
machinery is between eight and 12 units
per year within South Africa.
So, what makes Dezzi so alluring to
the equipment sector, given the huge
international OEM representation present
in the country? What can a small OEM
offer that the bigger ones cannot?
Africa tough
Where to start. For one, the Dezzi
Equipment range is made in South Africa,
designed to cope with African conditions
— no unnecessary electronics or