In the presence of representatives of the Thuringian state government, local decision-makers, and the international corporate management led by Chairman of the Supervisory Board Gary Bell, Bell Equipment (Deutschland) GmbH celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for its new manufacturing complex in Hörselberg-Hainich. Based at its assembly plant in the Kindel industrial park there since 2003, the dump truck manufacturer, headquartered in South Africa, is investing a total of 13 million euros in buildings and production facilities. From mid-2019, Bell will for the first time manufacture its own assemblies and vehicle components on-site on an area of over 12,000 m², which will create over 100 new qualified jobs in the Eisenach region in the medium term.
Short Paths to Success
International dump truck manufacturer Bell Equipment is investing a total of 13 million euros by mid-2019 in the construction of new vehicle technology production capacities at the Eisenach-Kindel site. The approximately 12,000 m² complex is being built on the company's nearly 10-hectare site, where the European assembly plant for articulated Bell dump trucks is already located. Since 2003, heavy transport vehicles for earthmoving and mining have been final-assembled here based on pre-assembled modules from the South African Bell parent plant in Richards Bay and components from European suppliers of engines, drive and control technology. From Eisenach, the vehicles then go directly to their target markets in Europe, North America and Asia.
To optimize its production logistics – particularly with regard to transport costs, delivery times, and flexible responses to specific customer requirements – Bell Equipment consistently pursues a strategy of decentralizing and localizing supplier structures and manufacturing processes. The now-initiated on-site production of individual assemblies in Eisenach-Kindel is another decisive step in this direction, as Gary Bell, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Bell Group, emphasized on the occasion of the ceremonial groundbreaking: “The high-strength structural steels for our vehicles largely come from Europe – what could be more obvious than processing them here using state-of-the-art technologies and with highly qualified specialists?” Accordingly, the two planned production halls will be equipped with all necessary technologies for cutting, forming, as well as mechanical and welding processing. The use of robotics and CNC-supported workstations ensures fast throughput times and very flexible manufacturing processes, which are controlled and monitored by experts in the directly connected design and quality department.
State supports strategic further development
In his welcome to the attending guests and numerous employees, Gary Bell provided reviews and outlooks. Until June of this year, the long-time Bell CEO, now Chairman of the Supervisory Board, was significantly involved in all location decisions. "We have received the best support from the very beginning – from our start on a greenfield site, through managing very early demand peaks and unfortunately also crisis-related sales slumps, to the committed accompaniment of our further future, which we are also symbolically tackling together today.“ Gary Bell thanked the political leaders at all levels for the good cooperation and explicitly included the representatives of the regional economic development agency: "Without the experts from LEG Thüringen, who literally paved the way for us onto the newly developed Kindel site back then, we probably wouldn't be here today. And over the years up to the decision just made, they have always stood by us as faithful pathfinders through many a bureaucratic thicket.“.
Economic State Secretary Valentina Kerst also emphasized the long-standing good partnership between Bell and the responsible parties at the Thuringia site, which has contributed to the company's success over a period of 15 years: "The fact that this groundbreaking ceremony is taking place today also shows: Thuringia offers the best framework conditions for companies that want to invest and grow in the long term.“ It is particularly pleasing that Bell, with the current project, is relocating additional manufacturing steps to Eisenach, thus developing from a pure assembly plant into a site with its own production and development activities. "This is a strategic orientation that we naturally support,“ said Kerst. Decisive discussions on this were held during a meeting between Economics Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee and company CEO Gary Bell during the Thuringian delegation trip to South Africa in May 2015. The state is supporting the new investment with 1.4 million euros from funds of the joint task "Improvement of the Regional Economic Structure“ (GRW).
Andreas Krey, Managing Director of the Thuringian State Development Corporation (LEG), expressed his delight that Bell, with its expansion, has made a clear commitment to the Thuringia location and specifically to Eisenach-Kindel. "In our joint discussions on the expansion, the LEG always focused on the goal of supporting Bell's expansion in the best possible way,“ he explained. "The cooperation was very constructive, and we found good solutions that enable Bell to continue its successful business activities here in Eisenach. For our industrial park, which is already more than 80 percent occupied, the positive investment decision of a global player like Bell represents an additional enhancement.“
Christian Weiß from the responsible general contractor Goldbeck-Ost presented the new construction project, which is to be completed in just ten months of construction time while operations continue in the neighboring assembly plant. One advantage: the Thuringian branch of the nationwide industrial construction specialist was already leading the construction of the dump truck plant in 2003 and the new Bell headquarters in Alsfeld, Hesse.
Promising Perspectives
When production of the transport bodies for the total of nine series begins in mid-2019, those responsible expect a total of 60 new jobs – in addition to the already nearly 140 employees at the assembly plant. Depending on the orientation and capacity utilization, the demand for qualified specialists can even rise to 130 employees in design and production, as plant manager André Krings explains. The signs are good: After 371 vehicles in 2016 and 431 units in 2017, just over 500 Bell dump trucks are expected to leave the assembly line in 2018, whose maximum capacity is designed for 20 vehicles per week (approx. 900 vehicles per year).
Bell Equipment is also supporting this positive development through sustainable investments elsewhere: Just last autumn, the new "European Logistics Center" opened at the headquarters of Bell Equipment (Deutschland) GmbH in Alsfeld, Hesse, which, together with the "Global Logistics Center" in Johannesburg, ensures the worldwide supply of spare parts. A total of nearly 5 million euros were invested here in the completely newly constructed complex, which, in addition to the parts center, also houses the main administration and the sales department responsible for a total of 21 national European markets of the German Bell subsidiary founded in 2000. In total, both German Bell locations generated sales of nearly 134 million euros in 2017, representing an increase of around 40 percent compared to the previous year.
Bell Equipment worldwide
Founded in 1954 as a small workshop, Bell Equipment developed into a versatile manufacturer of agricultural and forestry machinery as well as equipment for the construction and mining industries. In its home country of South Africa and neighboring African markets, Bell Equipment is also active in the distribution of renowned international brands for almost all areas of the construction industry. Overall, the listed family company with around 3,200 employees worldwide generated total sales of approximately EUR 459 million (2017).
An important part of this today is played by Bell's own series of articulated dump trucks. Since 1984, the company has been developing and building these heavy transport vehicles for earthmoving and mining – their worldwide marketing began in the mid-1990s. Today, Bell Equipment is represented on all continents with its own sales and service branches as well as through trading partners in more than 80 countries.
Nine standard model series with payloads from 18.0 to 55.0 tons, as well as numerous model variants (e.g., 4x4 two-axle), offer the most versatile program on the market. In addition to their extreme off-road capability thanks to all-wheel drive and articulated steering, Bell dump trucks are characterized, according to the manufacturer, by a payload-optimized design and very economical, fuel-efficient drives.
Contact:
Bell Equipment (Deutschland) GmbH
Eisenach-Kindel Plant
Industriestraße 8
99820 Hörselberg-Hainich
Tel.: 036920/73-0
Email: factory@de.bellequipment.com
www.bellequipment.com
Press Bell Equipment Germany
Thorsten Block
ka68 presse+pr
Gerwigstr. 22
D-76131 Karlsruhe
Tel.: +49 (0) 172 76 38 504
Email: tbka68@aol.com
