Skip to main content

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.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Volvo swings into action: EWR170E and EW220E wheeled excavators
    November 8, 2017
    Volvo CE will start deliveries of its EWR170E and the larger EW220E compact wheeled excavators - with optional joystick steering – starting in January. The short swing units are the Swedish manufacturer's answer to a growing demand for machinery to operate in increasingly tighter urban spaces and more restricted construction sites - and to do so in an environmentally friendly way.
  • Hyundai and CNH forge alliance for mini excavators
    September 12, 2016
    Hyundai Heavy Industries and CNH Industrial are establishing a strategic alliance agreement for the mini excavator business. The two firms have agreed a 10-year-long-agreement with renewal option.
  • Norwegian quarry opts for the Hitachi ZW310-5 wheel loader
    March 21, 2016
    Norwegian producer of high-quality aggregates Hamar Pukk og Grus has invested in a new ZW310-5 for loading trucks and trailers at its 60-hectare quarry on the outskirts of the town of Hamar. The wheeled loader is the first Hitachi machine in the company’s fleet and was delivered in April 2015 by the Norwegian dealer Nasta. It has joined a team of six personnel on the site, who are responsible for excavating 120,000m³ of materials and producing 250,000 tonnes of aggregates a year. Material is loaded in
  • Kubota’s KX027-4 mini excavators fill the Gap
    May 18, 2018
    Scotland-based GAP Hire Solutions, one of the world’s largest fleet customers for Kubota mini excavators, purchased more than 100 new Kubota KX027-4 excavators last year. The Glasgow head-quartered business now has over 4,000 Kubota machines in its depots across the UK. Kubota is also now GAP’s sole supplier of excavators up to 8 tonnes, explained Ken Stewart, head of procurement at GAP Hire. “With the increased amount of regeneration in urban areas across the UK, the demand in the market for a quality 3t