After years of preparation, and just six months after announcing the dissolution of its longstanding joint venture with John Deere in the Americas, Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas Inc. (HCMA) officially began leading the brand's construction and mining equipment sales and service support efforts, effective March 1.
The event was commemorated in a celebration event held for employees at HCMA's headquarters in Newman, GA, where Alan Quinn, HCMA CEO, and Yasushi Ochaiai, Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM) Group executive vice president and executive officer, outlined what the move will mean to customers, dealers and the industry.
Ochiai described the expansion in North America and Latin America as one of the most important for HCM in its 70-year history of developing, producing, selling and servicing construction and mining equipment. "It has been the dream of many years for HCM to explore its own business in the region, not only with wheel loaders but also with other products, services and solutions," he stated. "Expansion of business in the Americas will give further momentum to the development and production of new machinery and the promotion of sales and services. The HCM Group will become a true global player.”
March 1 also marked a historic day for HCMA, noted Quinn. “While Hitachi equipment has been used on construction sites and mines throughout the region, moving forward, dealers and customers will experience Hitachi the same way the rest of the world does with a direct relationship," he pointed out. "We are preparing to launch new machines and technologies while focusing on having a more direct relationship with our customers and dealers.”
This includes the direct distribution of products to its dealer network, with the first fleet of trucks now delivering Hitachi-branded wheel loaders and excavators designed to "help contractors optimize production, have an efficient and safe operating experience, and help manage their operating costs," according to Simon Wilson, vice president at HCMA. Babliton Cardosa, HCMA senior director, mining equipment sales, noted dealers and mining executives at the 2022 MINEXCHANGE Conference in Salt Lake City, UT, expressed enthusiasm for this new chapter in Hitachi's history, adding that "many people told us they've been waiting for us to make this move."
According to Wilson, there is more to come. “This is just the beginning of the advances the market can expect from Hitachi,” said Wilson. “Over the next year, HCMA will be introducing many new models that incorporate the latest in hydraulic systems and innovative ‘uptime’ and IoT services, as well as increase the capabilities of Hitachi ConSite, with an initiative to add more telematics and predictive analytics to our equipment lines.”
To support dealers and customers, HCMA is adding a 400,000-sq.-ft. parts distribution center at its corporate headquarters as well as adding personnel, with more than 60 skilled individuals already joining the team since August 2021.
“North America and Latin America represent the largest construction markets in the world," said Quinn, "and we are ready to turn the region Hitachi orange with the industry’s best equipment."
Information provided by Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas Inc. and edited by Becky Schultz.