Construction has hit rock bottom, Bell CEO Leon Goosen says
Heavy-moving equipment seller Bell does 60% of its business abroad but this could rise given the lack of local demand for its products
The construction industry's suppliers are shifting their focus offshore as new projects dry up for the struggling sector, said Bell Equipment CEO Leon Goosen, He said the construction industry was in dire need of infrastructure projects. The earth-moving trucks seller has spent the past two years restructuring its operations to reduce its reliance on SA. About 60% of Bell revenue comes from outside SA. Goosen said the revenue from offshore sources could reach 65% in 2019 as the company looked to do more business in North America and Europe, because of lack of construction projects at home. Goosen spoke after the release of Bell's financial results for the year to December. The group reported that both revenue and gross profit increased 10% in the reporting period, to R7.5bn and R1.5bn, respectively. “We realised that we had to focus on making money offshore in order to stay profitable because there just is no real construction going on in SA, so local demand for our equipment is at ...
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