Bell Equipment Media Release
Date: 11 December 2012
Embargo: For immediate release

Proudly South African manufacturer, Bell Equipment has been awarded a Technology Top 100 award for its Excellence in the Management of Technology at a gala ceremony held in Johannesburg recently.  The TT100 Business Awards Programme is one of the foremost business awards programmes that acknowledges South African companies for their business expertise in the key areas of Management of Technology, Innovation, People, Systems, Research and Sustainability. Launched in 1991 by the South African Engineering Association (SAVI), with the support of various partners, the programme has succeeded in achieving growth and innovation advancement in the country while simultaneously raising awareness of the critical need for local companies to embrace the management of technology, innovation and people in a sustainable manner.  Bell Equipment's award specifically recognises the role of product verification and validation in Bell Equipment's development of its small E-series Articulated Dump Trucks, which are planned for launch in mid-2013.

According to Bell Equipment's Manager: Product Validation and Verification, Gerhard van Deventer the company employs cutting edge tools as part of its product verification and validation process to ensure that the high risks of developing a new product at the start of the design process can be mitigated as early as is realistically achievable in order to advance the design process and manage costs as economically as possible.

"We adopt tools, including simulation and testing, to ascertain how a machine is going to perform in service. Dynamic simulation predicts the mobile behaviour of a machine while Finite Element Analysis along with Fatigue Analysis is used to determine how the various components will age and wear. The results of these simulations are then tested or verified on job sites and engineers receive feedback. Full vehicle accelerated testing is also carried out at the world class Gerotek testing facility in Pretoria, which enables Bell to mimic accelerated wear on job sites." he said.

Bell Group Marketing Manager, Stephen Jones said that the company is honoured to have been recognised by the TT100 Awards Programme, particularly  since it has high standards and is driven by a code of ethics and a rigorous adjudication process.

"As South Africans we often don't realise and appreciate the level of competence and technological achievement that has been reached in South Africa and TT100 is an excellent vehicle for companies who are exceeding in terms of global standards to be recognised as technology leaders.


"We are proud that our products are fully designed and manufactured in South Africa for the global market and we are likewise proud of the ground-breaking technological advancements we have developed on South African soil with our team of local engineers," he said.

Ends
Caption:
Since its inception the TT100 has enjoyed strong endorsement by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) as the major government sponsor. Pictured at the awards presentation are (from left): Barry McColl (Eskom; Award sponsor), Minister of Science and Technology Derek Hanekom, Michael du Plessis (Bell), Halvar Rautenbach (Bell), Gerhard van Deventer (Bell) and Prof Roy Marcus (Da Vinci Holdings).