SubscribeMini-excavators may be small in size, but they deliver a powerful package in terms of versatility and reliability. The construction industry has embraced the benefits of these machines and they are among the best selling models in Europe.
Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (HCME) has been at the forefront of the mini-excavator market for two decades. During this time, Hitachi has manufactured three ranges - the UE, EX and ZX series - and extensively developed its factory at the city of Oosterhout in The Netherlands.
The success of this operation may be evidenced by the recent announcement that the 15,000th Hitachi mini-excavator has rolled off the production line. This notable landmark was achieved on March 24 when an Hitachi Zaxis 18 was completed on schedule.
This is a notable milestone considering that HCME only moved to the site in 1989. For the three years prior to that, the production team prepared imported UE15s and UE30s from a facility in what is now the Special Applications Centre.
EX15, 17, 22, 30 and 35 mini-excavators were first assembled from scratch in the new factory during 1996. Two years later, the 10,000th machine (an EX16) rolled into the stockyard at Oosterhout.
The Zaxis range was introduced in 2002 with the ZX16, 18 and 25 manufactured by HCME. The assembly line was then expanded to include the ZX30 and 35 in the spring of 2005.
Today, the factory is producing between six and seven Hitachi Zaxis mini-excavators per day. The ZX30 and 35 are the most popular models and account for 40% of production. HCME currently outputs around 2,500 machines per annum, with 1,000 of these (EX8, ZX40/50 and ZX30U/35U/40U/50U) imported from Japan in 2005.
The arrival of the new Hitachi Zaxis short tail models have already proved a popular extension to the range. 2006 will see this line-up expand to include the ZX8U, 10U, 15U, 20U and 27U models. This will hopefully allow HCME to supply its next 5,000 mini-excavators in record time as it seeks to double the current level of production.
26 Jul, 2006