Skip to main content

Hitachi’s ZW180-5 delights the Dutch with additional performance

Materials handling has been made more efficient for Molenaar Zand en Grond, a Dutch materials yard, after introducing its first Hitachi ZW180-5 wheeled loader. Parent company, the road construction, drainage, sewage and groundworks contractor A. Molenaar, bought the Hitachi ZW180-5 in November for its materials yard subsidiary. The machine is now loading a steady stream of trucks and trailers at Molenaar Zand en Grond BV’s stockyard at Bergambacht, east of Rotterdam. The Hitachi ZW180-5 was delivered by the
March 9, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
Squeaky clean and hard at work
Materials handling has been made more efficient for Molenaar Zand en Grond, a Dutch materials yard, after introducing its first Hitachi ZW180-5 wheeled loader.

Parent company, the road construction, drainage, sewage and groundworks contractor A. Molenaar, bought the 233 Hitachi ZW180-5 in November for its materials yard subsidiary. The machine is now loading a steady stream of trucks and trailers at Molenaar Zand en Grond BV’s stockyard at Bergambacht, east of Rotterdam.

The Hitachi ZW180-5 was delivered by the Dutch Hitachi construction machinery dealer 1139 HCME Domestic. A. Molenaar will use the machine for its own road projects for about half the time and hire it out to other contractors and private customers in the region.

Molenaar Zand en Grond’s ZW180-5 has a 3m3 bucket and pallet forks. “We rented a ZW250 for three months before deciding to buy,” says Andre Molenaar. “This gave us added confidence in our first Hitachi ZW-5 model, which we chose due to its size, loading capacity and ability to drive on the road. This is the perfect machine for the site, as it has the ability to load everything from trailers to trucks, and is easy to maintain.”

The Molenaar Zand en Grond site is beside the Lek River upon which incoming materials are delivered by boat. But all of the outgoing sand and soil is loaded onto trucks.

“The emphasis is on sustainability with 80% of the distance covered by the materials on water and only 20% by road,” owner Andre Molenaar said. “This is a difficult area to access for deliveries by truck and so this is also a fuel-efficient system.”

“We estimate that fuel consumption of the 5 model range is 17-18% lower than its predecessor. The auto-shutdown is also vital in this respect, for example, when operators are frequently climbing in and out of the cab.” He also said the machines have excellent handling and spacious and comfortable working environment are all important factors.

A. Molenaar was founded in 1941 by Andre’s grandfather and his three sons are the fourth generation of the family to work in the company. The firm’s first Hitachi excavator was an EX150LC, purchased 25 years ago. Since then, the company has purchased 28 machines from HCME Domestic. The ZW180-5 is the first medium wheeled loader in the fleet. It is also the first example of this model working in The Netherlands.

“Hitachi machines are well designed and look stunning,” said Andre, who is also an operator. “We work with our machines for around six years and keep them in excellent condition, so they retain high resale values. Our customers also like to see immaculate equipment on their job sites.”

He also said HCME Domestic stands behind its products through excellent service, offering a favourable total cost of ownership and placing an emphasis on creating solutions when needed.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • JCB excavators and Terex Washing Systems’ plant at work in the Caribbean region
    June 24, 2013
    Excavators and a wash plant have been supplied for work in the Caribbean region. New equipment has been delivered to companies for projects in the countries in the Caribbean. A fleet of eight 20tonne JCB JS200 crawler excavators has been bought by a construction company and put to work in one of the biggest ever highway projects in the Caribbean, while DUO, a Terex Washing Systems’ global distributor, has installed a custom-built Terex sand and gravel wash plant at the Readymix West Indies (W.I.) site in Va
  • CIFA’s new R&D focus has raised its profile
    January 6, 2017
    The acquisition of Italian concrete pump and mixer firm CIFA by Zoomlion in 2008 has helped raise the profile of this business significantly, transforming the company. The buyout of the company gave CIFA access to funds for research and development, which its Chinese owner has been keen to invest in. And the fruits of this investment are certainly being seen, both by CIFA and Zoomlion.
  • CIFA’s new R&D focus has raised its profile
    April 21, 2015
    The acquisition of Italian concrete pump and mixer firm CIFA by Zoomlion in 2008 has helped raise the profile of this business significantly, transforming the company. The buyout of the company gave CIFA access to funds for research and development, which its Chinese owner has been keen to invest in. And the fruits of this investment are certainly being seen, both by CIFA and Zoomlion.
  • Major gains in concrete plant technology
    June 28, 2013
    There is a great deal of innovation across the concrete plant, pump and truck mixer sector. Guy Woodford looks at what some of the sector’s biggest names are offering. CIFA managing director Davide Cipolla believes the Zoomlion-owned Italian firm has “not reached the limit” of what it can offer customers, thanks to a significant investment in research and development. Speaking about a US$2.57 million-a-year (€2million) R&D investment in CIFA and some Zoomlion products over the last five years Cipolla, who i