Bell open new depot in Scotland
BELL Equipment UK have opened a new depot in Falkirk, Scotland, in a significant move towards achieving the company’s objective of increasing their current UK product support division by 50%.
The new depot incorporates a team of sales, service support and logistics staff, as well as a new parts division, and will operate as a satellite base to Bell’s UK headquarters in Staffordshire, providing exclusive support for the company’s regional customers.
Neville Paynter, managing director of Bell Equipment UK, said the decision to open a new support and parts depot in Falkirk demonstrated how important the Scottish market is to Bell.
‘Bell UK have seen very strong growth in market share north of the border and we wanted to reflect that by showing our commitment to customers in the region,’ he said. ‘We’ve had a sales presence in Scotland for three years, but this is the first time we’ve had an exclusive parts depot outside England. It will certainly help improve response times for Scottish customers.’
Bell Equipment UK say they have seen significant growth in their UK business, with an increase in sales of 40% in the past three years. The company’s Scottish business has seen a 50% increase in sales over the same period.
The new Falkirk depot will provide an office base for Bell’s existing Scottish regional sales manager, George Graham. He will be joined by two service engineers and a parts store manager, although Bell say further expansion of the operation is planned in the future.
The move has already been welcomed by Bell Equipment customers in Scotland. Bill Marsh, general manager of Glasgow-based plant hire firm AB 2000, said he was impressed by Bell’s decision to commit so strongly to the Scottish market after such a relatively short presence in the country.
‘The fact that they now carry stock at the depot can only be a good thing,’ he said. ‘Response from Bell has always been good, but this will make it really handy for us and, when we need parts urgently, we won’t have to wait for them to come up from the South.’
AB 2000 purchased their first Bell articulated dumptrucks last year, taking delivery of six B30D and two B25D ADTs in what was, at the time, a major breakthrough for Bell. This year AB 2000 have purchased a further four 25-tonne Bell ADTs, taking the firm’s initial order of eight machines up to a fleet of 23.
Mr Marsh added: ‘We’ve been delighted with the Bell machines since we bought our first eight trucks last year. We’ve increased our Bell fleet, which now represent about 40% of the company’s entire dump truck fleet, largely on the grounds of the trucks’ performance and reliability. The new depot is yet another positive stage in Bell’s progression as a company.’
