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

  • Self-healing roads, slippery roads and slimmer roads
    November 24, 2017
    This month’s bitumen technology pages bring you self-healing roads, slippery roads and slimmer roads and explains why one UK contractor has started manufacturing its own polymer modified bitumen - Kristina Smith reports. Professor Erik Schlangen, who heads up experimental micromechanics at the Delft University of Technology is receiving calls from all round the world these days. And it is hardly surprising because he and his team have invented a great new technology: asphalt that heals itself.
    Read More
  • Doosan Bobcat’s new backhoe loader plant in India
    October 4, 2018
    Doosan Bobcat has opened its new backhoe loader plant in India. The firm took over this plant last month, which has a site area of 80,000m2, a factory floor area of 15,000m2 and is capable of producing 8000 machines/year. Doosan Bobcat has entered this sector in a bid to expand its emerging market portfolio with the aim of exploring mid- and long-term growth. India’s compact equipment market is the third largest in the world after the US and China, with backhoe loader sales still dominating the country’s
    Read More
  • 50th anniversary celebration for Komatsu’s Italian facility
    January 21, 2014
    Komatsu’s utility equipment operation in Italy recently held its 50th anniversary celebration, as well as highlighting new product developments. The current plant was established by the Italian firm FAI in the town of Este around 30 years ago, close to the city of Venice. When rules on importation of machine into Europe were established in the late 1980s, Komatsu discussed a partnership with FAI. This was established in 1988, later buying out the majority share in the plant held the Italian founder in the e
    Read More
  • Hitachi’s ZX55U-6EB is its first zero-emission 5-tonne battery-powered excavator for Europe
    October 24, 2022
    Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) (HCME) is meeting the growing need for emission-free equipment and a sustainable future with the launch of a new five-tonne battery-powered excavator, the ZX55U-6EB.
    Read More

Highlighted Content