Demond Equipment S.A. is a South Africa-based company that produces machinery and attachments under the brand name Dezzi for the mining, construction, earthmoving, plant hire, quarrying, sugarcane, and logging industries.

Dezzi products, which are locally manufactured with a local content of between 70 and 75 percent—only the engines and transmissions are imported from the U.S. and U.K.—are specifically designed to operate in the harsh, dry, rocky conditions of Africa.

As manufacturing takes place locally, the company has the ability to customize machinery to suit the needs of a specific application.

Desmond avoids using electronics in its products in order to keep their operation as simple and straightforward as possible.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Desmond Transport 1.2 The Move to Manufacturing 1.3 Successful Sales 2 The Company Today 3 Equipment List 4 References 5 External Links

[edit] History

[edit] Desmond Transport

Demond’s first incarnation was a transportation company called Desmond Transport; it was formed in 1973. The company grew steadily, and before long the decision was made to delve into the earthmoving, construction, and plant hire industries. Concurrently, a quarry and brick manufacturing division was established. This expansion was undertaken in response to the local market demand.

[edit] The Move to Manufacturing

To begin, Desmond bought used earthmoving equipment and refurbished it for resale and plant hire. Soon after, the company opened a manufacturing plant.

By 1995 Desmond had made the decision to start manufacturing its own equipment based on customer demands. The following year, production of the first Dezzi front end loader began; three units were manufactured and sold the first year. In 1997 another five were sold.^[1]

[edit] Successful Sales

The year 1998 brought considerable growth in Desmond’s sales as 14 front end loaders were sold. A new product, the Dezzi haulage tractor, added to the sales success with 16 units sold in its first year of production.^[2] This year marked the beginning of a trend in Desmond’s product line expansion: a new machine has been introduced every year since.

In 2001 Barloworld, an industrial brand management company, began distributing Dezzi products, leading once again to significant growth in sales.

[edit] The Company Today

Desmond Equipment S.A. currently employs approximately 100 people. Its head office is in Port Shepstone, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. There are two Dezzi sales centers in Johannesburg and Wolmarandstad, South Africa. It is estimated that Dezzie tractors have captured between 20 and 30 percent of the country’s market and articulated dump trucks have captured five to 10 percent.^[3]

The director of the company is Desmond Gutzeit and the General Manager is Ron Stroebel.

Presently, between 120 and 150 Dezzi units are produced each year. The company plans to expand its product line to include larger dump trucks and more dock machinery.

Desmond is also currently negotiating a joint venture with Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), an organization under the South African government focused on providing economic opportunities to disadvantaged black South Africans to redress the effects of apartheid.

[edit] Equipment List

• Articulated dump truck
• Articulated haul truck
• Forklift
• Four-wheel drive dump truck
• Front end loader
• Hauler tractor
• Log grab
• Log truck
• Motor grader
• Sugarcane grab
• Trailer
• Wheel loader

[edit] References

1. ↑ Company Profile. Official Desmond website. 05-29-2009.
2. ↑ Company Profile. Official Desmond website. 05-29-2009.
3. ↑ Machinery manufacturer targets African market. Engineering News. 03-24-2006.

[edit] External Links

• Official Desmond Equipment S.A. website