After a challenging year Bell Equipment “really appreciates the recognition from the South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC)”, which awarded the 2021 Exporter of the Year award for large business (over R1 billion turnover per year) jointly to the heavy equipment manufacturer and Multotec.
MD of Bell Equipment Company South Africa and global head of manufacturing, Dominic Chinnappen, attended the virtual awards ceremony in December. Describing the challenges faced in 2021 he added: “Much of our supply base is in South Africa and many of our suppliers had to go the extra mile during lockdown to keep us going. We also had significant challenges trying to maintain our labour force and adapt our shift patterns as regulations changed. With Bell being on the other side of the world from our major suppliers in Europe, we faced further challenges as shipping delays and port congestion slowed down our incoming goods. Unfortunately, we lost some production as a result and our export figures could have been better.”
While Bell Equipment expects commodity and freight increases to increase costs in 2022, and for supplier shortages and logistics challenges to continue, the manufacturer is looking forward to a busy year. “We look forward to the coming year. Demand for our products looks good and both our factories will be operating at higher production levels than we have seen in many years. As a result, we expect that our local supply base will also enjoy significantly higher volumes from Bell and we look forward to working with everyone in 2022,” said Dominic.
Bell Equipment achieved the award by exporting its products to over 80 countries worldwide. “Exports account for the majority of our turnover and the contribution continues to grow. We’re also proud that our exports have significant local content, and we are always looking at ways to increase the local value add,” said Stephen Jones, Bell Equipment Director: Group Engineering, Marketing and Product Portfolio, who oversees group development and exports from the Richards Bay factory.
“We acknowledge and thank the SACEEC for the instrumental role that they are playing in elevating the status of South Africa’s manufacturing industry. We are proud to be recognised for our contribution to the economy, supplier development and job creation,” he said.
Pictured with Bell Equipment’s Exporter of the Year award are Stephen Jones, who oversees group development, marketing and exports from the Richards Bay factory, and Dominic Chinnappen, MD of Bell Equipment Company South Africa, and global head of manufacturing.