Here's a press release announcing Bell's intention to manufacture a 50-ton ADT for Europe. And what appears to be a photo of the mug . . . Bell Equipment Media Release Bauma 2007 Date: 30 January 2007 Embargo: For immediate release European manufacture of B50Ds for 2007 At Bauma 2007 Bell Equipment will be announcing its intention to manufacture its flagship Articulated Dump Truck (ADT), the B50D at its German factory by the third quarter of 2007. According to Bell Equipment Group Chief Executive, Gary Bell the decision to manufacture locally has been driven by the strong demand for the B50D in the European markets, including the United Kingdom. He added: “Now that it has become feasible for us to produce the B50D in Germany, our customers can expect knock-on benefits in terms of quality and shorter lead times because their machines will be made in Europe, right on their doorstep.†The demand for the B50D has grown considerably in Europe since it was released for worldwide sale at Bauma 2004 with almost 90 machines operating in Europe, of which 50 are in the United Kingdom. “The B50D has developed a solid reputation in the mining and quarrying sectors in various countries and in the UK we have already had our first customer who is changing out his B50D for new machines, which is a good sign,†said Bell. European expansion In general Bell Equipment is making advances across Europe. Since establishing itself as the only ADT manufacturer in Germany in 2003, Bell Equipment has secured a foothold in the European market and is positioning itself to expand this footprint into new territories, particularly Eastern Europe. To align itself with this strategic goal and acknowledging the importance of the European market, Bell Equipment has introduced significant changes to support the company’s growth throughout the region. The company has established the Bell Equipment European Council, made up of the seven most senior executives in Europe and chaired by Neville Paynter, the Managing Director of Bell Equipment United Kingdom. Page 1/5 Page 2/5 Paynter explains the benefit of the Council. “The Council serves to create a uniform Bell team in Europe and empower the Managing Directors in the various countries. We meet monthly to ensure that we are managing the business strategically and reaching our goals and each month we are also represented at the company’s Executive Board meeting in South Africa where we give feedback and input and interact with the rest of the group senior management on operational issues.†A dedicated marketing resource has been introduced into Europe to support the sales and distribution centres throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. Based in Germany, this resource will work with the sales team to allow them to strengthen market share, product knowledge and market information. This local and direct marketing resource will also assist in identifying new markets and gather competitive information to better position the company as a market leader. Paynter added that in 2007 there would also be a drive to enhance the resale and residual value of Bell ADTs, an obvious benefit to customers. To achieve this the company has already appointed a Bell Equipment Used Equipment Manager: Europe. The services of a full-time financial consultant have also been employed to strengthen and enhance Bell Equipment’s relationship with financial institutions and provide customers with funding options when buying machines. Commenting on the success of Bell Equipment’s operations and dealer network throughout Europe during 2006, Paynter said most countries have enjoyed positive results and indications are that this bullish trend will continue into 2007. “Bell Equipment Germany’s association with Liebherr remains strong and we will be looking to drive market share higher in 2007. To support the growth in the German market additional resources are to be deployed in customer support to ensure that the service and support requirements meet customers’ expectations,†he said. The German factory continues to prove itself as a worthwhile operation for Bell Equipment by meeting due date deliveries and production rates while supplying a high quality product. “Bell Equipment United Kingdom had a good year in terms of unit sales although the industry-wide problem of tyre supply has been a constraint to business. For strategic and commercial reasons we no longer market Hyundai excavators in the region and will be concentrating our efforts strongly on ADT sales in 2007,†he added. Page 3/5 Bell Equipment France started 2006 on a high note by securing substantial orders at the Intermat Show in Paris and continued this positive trend thoughout the year. Commented Paynter: “Over the past few years Bell Equipment France has worked hard at establishing firmer relationships with its dealer network and we are looking for an increase in unit sales as those efforts start paying dividends.†Bell Equipment France has appointed SCAI S.p.A and Anka as dealers in Italy and Turkey respectively to formalise business in those countries and has also employed additional human resources for customer support and parts sales to better support the growth in business. Likewise Paynter said business in Spain and Portugal are expected to grow and Bell Equipment Spain will be doubling its staff complement on sales and product support to accelerate this growth and provide the necessary support. The Bell Equipment dealer network now stands at over 80 throughout Europe and the company will be looking to formalise additional dealerships in Eastern Europe and Russia during 2007. Bell Equipment United Kingdom has also taken over management of the Middle Eastern markets and will be looking for development opportunities there. Ends 875 words
No replies yet.