Busy Belle, writes Alan Guthrie from EHN

Since French-based ALTRAD bought Belle Group in 2009 it has made a series of acquisitions of UK operations to complement ALTRAD's core activity of manufacturing and selling scaffolding products, mixers and wheelbarrows. As EHN has reported previously, ALTRAD bought Beaver 84, a nationwide supplier of scaffolding, fencing and ground works products in May 2011, followed shortly afterwards by adding scaffolding and access solutions provider NSG UK Ltd. At the end of March 2012, ALTRAD bought Generation Hire & Sales Ltd, which provides non-mechanical access equipment, scaffolding and fencing from 14 locations, while NSG purchased MTD Scaffolding, which supplies scaffolding and access solutions, and already offered ALTRAD's Plettac Contur system scaffolding.

This has obviously expanded ALTRAD's opportunities to sell its products, as well as to develop new items specifically for the UK.

"ALTRAD's view is that the future isn't dictated to you, and you can shape it by the decisions you make" said Ray Nielson, MD of ALTRAD Belle, who advised Group CEO Dr Mohed Altrad on these acquisitions. "Products like the Contur and Facade systems, which will now be handled chiefly by Generation Hire & Sales and Beaver 84 are very popular on the continent for their speed of assembly, stability and strength, and since many contractors work on a pan-European basis, many want to standardise on the methods and equipment they use."

However, Ray is quick to point out that, while ALTRAD's access-related acquisitions may have been on the spotlight, it has been business as usual at ALTRAD Belle. "I am the only employee who had any involvement with the acquisitions, and so well over 99% of our workforce have continued to develop and manufacture our core ranges, including mixers, equipment for concrete work and cutting machinery.

"We continue to work closely with hirers, who represent our main market. Customers adapted and repositioned their businesses during the recession and there are many positive signs now. More people are visiting our factory in Sheen, Derbyshire, and having face-to-face talks about equipment they need as they refresh their fleets.

"Many of our products are barometers reflecting the state of the construction industry. While overall mixer sales have been affected by the number of large new-build sites that have been mothballed, smaller projects are going ahead. Sales of our Premier XT site mixer have been climbing, and the same is true for our MS500 table saw, which is used for cutting many site materials.

"Demand is also rising for our low-vibration BHB25XS hydraulic breaker, developed to run off our Midi 20/140 power pack, which is designed for easy transportation with the breaker and hoses stored on top of the unit. The breaker is configured so that the top chamber can be removed for maintenance without having to re-gas the tool, facilitating servicing. In addition, we find that more and more contracts are specifying low-vibration rammers like our RT60 and RT65. Also popular is the BMD 300 mini dumper, which will be amongst the equipment on our stand at IOG Saltex in September. We launched a snow plough attachment at the Executive Hire Show this year, which we are now rolling out at our other ALTRAD companies in Europe. At Saltex we will also show products from our wheelbarrow ranges, including the rugged Belle Warrior, which we can now supply ready-assembled to hirers."

During our visit, EHN was also given an exclusive preview of new machines that ALTRAD Belle has been developing following substantial investment from its French parent. Two years in the making, and designed and built entirely at Sheen, details are under wraps until our preview of the 2013 Executive Hire Show, where they will be officially launched, demonstrating that Belle remains at the centre of British engineering expertise.