Hitachi upgrades European mini excavator facility

Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (HCME) has upgraded its European mini excavator factory to boost manufacturing efficiency. The firm has officially opened its mini and compact excavator factory at Oosterhout, in the Netherlands. The new 8,000m2 facility is the result of an extensive modernisation programme, which commenced in January 2018. The firm says that the upgrade will increase efficiency at the factory that is responsible for producing the ZX10 to ZX85 models. It will also meet the growing
July 19, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Hitachi has officially opened its new mini excavator facility in the Netherlands

233 Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (1139 HCME) has upgraded its European mini excavator factory to boost manufacturing efficiency. The firm has officially opened its mini and compact excavator factory at Oosterhout, in the Netherlands. The new 8,000m2 facility is the result of an extensive modernisation programme, which commenced in January 2018.

The firm says that the upgrade will increase efficiency at the factory that is responsible for producing the ZX10 to ZX85 models. It will also meet the growing demand for Hitachi mini and compact excavators across Europe.

The factory’s general manager, Marco Verhoef, said, “We have already doubled our output since 2014 from 2,500 to 5,000 machines by 2018. The renovation of the factory was necessary to help us grow further, and will enable us to produce more than 7,000 machines/year, according to market demand.”

As part of the upgrade, a state-of-the-art, semi-automatic assembly line has been installed, as well as new equipment and paint booths. The staff at the factory have adopted a new approach, which means completing tasks within a certain amount of time, optimising work flow. Inventory has also been reduced by following the latest lean manufacturing methods.


“Thanks to all of our dedicated personnel, we now have a fully redesigned and modernised factory, and are very proud of what we have achieved. We are ready for the future, to supply more machines at shorter delivery times and lower costs.”

Finance & Funding

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Market bullish at bauma China 2016 exhibition
    February 1, 2017
    Key manufacturers reported a return to business confidence in China at the recent bauma China 2016 construction equipment exhibition The event was held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) and attracted 170,000 visitors from 149 countries, despite the cold weather and constant rain that plagued its first two days. The healthy attendance is a reflection of the gradually improving Chinese market. The Chinese economy suffered a slump in business levels in recent years, following a boom per
    Read More
  • Turkish manufacturers key to aggregates equipment
    February 13, 2012
    Turkish manufacturers are important trading partners in the worldwide aggregate production sector, Mike Woof reports
    Read More
  • Skanska and Kraton boost RAP use with called SYLVAROAD™ RP1000
    November 23, 2017
    The city of Västerås in central Sweden is known as a centre for industrial automation and information technology. Innovation abounds here and with it comes strong environmental efforts – meeting carbon reduction goals and maximising the recycling process, for example. A road construction project just outside this picturesque city highlights such innovation.
    Read More
  • Sales of earthmoving equipment in France grew by 21% in 2017
    February 2, 2018
    The French earthmoving equipment market remains the third biggest market in Europe with sales of 21,630 machines last year. According to Cisma, the French equipment manufacturers’ association, 2017 stands out as the best year since the market crash in 2008. Growth in equipment sales for 2017 so far have been driven by crawler excavators, which were 22% higher than in 2016. This includes mini excavator sales, which are the most popular product, and reflect a strong house building market this year The mini
    Read More

Highlighted Content