In September, Bell Trucks America, Inc. management and dealers visited South Africa to tour the Bell Factory and attend Bauma, South Africa.
Departing from JFK airport on September 16, our dealers experienced Africa, from the big city of Johannesburg to the wilds of a safari.
Bauma South Africa is an international trade fair for equipment machinery, building material machines, mining machines and construction vehicles.
Bell’s line of Articulated Trucks was featured, highlighted by the Bell B50. The B50D is currently the largest production ADT in the world, and built with all the same qualities as the full Bell line of ADT’s. Soon the Bell B60E will take its place as the world’s largest ADT.
We also visited the Global Logistics Center, a hub for worldwide parts distribution. Our dealers learned first-hand how their dealerships are supported by BTA and the factory.
Thanda Game Preserve & Safari
Next, the group flew to Richards Bay and drove to Thanda Game Reserve, for the weekend. We relaxed, talked business, enjoyed the luxurious accommodations and food, then took game rides to see lions, rhinos, elephants, cape buffalo, giraffes and more.
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Bell Richards Bay Factory Tour
The week ended in a visit to the Bell Richards Bay factory. We saw a video presentation of the factory and history of Bell, then went on to tour the facilities. The tour allowed BTA dealers to see the NEW Bell B60E in production, along with all the other models in various stages of production.
Overall, response was extremely positive and we got great comments like, “It’s nice to see a factory that actually manufactures and not just assembles.”
The size of the factory and the quality of the product produced impressed everyone.
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Read on to hear what our dealers thought of this fabulous trip!
“I wanted to reach back out one more time and say how much I enjoyed the trip and fellowship. The Bell family made us feel welcome and there was never a dull moment. I truly enjoyed getting know all of you and look forward to all of our success with Bell in the coming years.”
“I am not only proud to be associated with the Bell ADT family but also with such a great group of dealers with high integrity. The Bell group overdid it. Let’s do some deals!”
“As I said before Bell stepped up to the plate and showed us how serious of a company that they are and I am excited to see what the future shows for all of us with the Bell family.The group that went was awesome and I think we all met some new friends and look forward to doing business with all of you.
Thanks to BTA group for asking me to go to this event, and couldn’t be happier that I was able to go (even though we almost lost our lives to the great black rhino!).”
“I can only echo the comments already expressed. It was a great event with the safari and getting to visit Bell Trucks. Gives you a sense of pride to be involved with an organization that does so much for its dealers.Thanks to all that planned the trip and worked so hard to make it a memorable event. It was great getting to spend time with the dealers I already knew and to meet those that I didn’t, especially my roommate. I just hope he can sleep OK tonight without me there to light his candle.”