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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
JULY 2017
7
I
n line with global trends, the African
construction equipment market declined
significantly in the past year on the back
of a difficult economic spell, but the market
for backhoe loaders, better known as TLBs
(trailer loader backhoes) in local circles,
remained resilient in the face of a challenging
sales environment.
The backhoe loader definitely commands
a stable sales base in South Africa, serving
the specific needs of contractors, rental
companies and municipalities, to mention a
few. The South African market is currently
about 1 400 units per annum, according to
Stephen McNeill of Bell Equipment, who
adds that the construction industry is by
While the fundamentals have remained the same over the six decades it
has existed: the backhoe loader, a single machine that can do both loading
and excavation, has advanced in many ways over the years. While there
is mounting competition from other pieces of equipment, there is general
consensus that the versatility of this machine will be hard to beat for years to
come. Thus it remains ‘the king’ of the local yellow metal equipment sector,
writes
Munesu Shoko
.
KING OF THE SITE
Last year, Bell Equipment launched its 315SL, an entry-level
TLB ideal for general earthworks.