Hitachi Construction
There is one color that stands out amid the blacks, whites and grays that dominate most mining and construction sites. For more than 30 years, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co.’s trademark orange machines have added quality and durability as well as a break from a monochromatic landscape.
Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. produces a full line of mining and construction equipment including:
- Excavators
- Wheel loaders
- Articulated dump trucks
- Rigid dump trucks
- Track mounted crushers, screens and recycling equipment
- Rubber crawler carriers
- Compaction equipment
- Cranes and foundation machines
- Mine management systems
Hitachi equipment ranges in operating weights from 1,760 to 1.6 million pounds. “Since the introduction of Hitachi’s first mining excavators in the 1970s, we have built an excellent reputation for high productivity, low maintenance costs, and high reliability,” the company says. “Whether it is gold, taconite, or other exotic metals – or coal, lignite, oil sands, or overburden removal, Hitachi can handle the job.”
The company estimates that its excavators represent two of every five of those used on sites worldwide. The company’s rigid-frame truck line uses the frame and suspension technology introduced by the Euclid Company, a pioneering truck manufacturing company acquired by Hitachi in 2004.
“Our trucks are designed to move the most amount of net payload possible, as quickly as safely possible, at the lowest total cost – based on the package of purchase price, uptime/productivity, and maintenance costs,” the company adds.
“As owner of the legendary Euclid line, we have ensured our Hitachi trucks are perfectly matched to its excavators in quality, performance, and customer satisfaction.”
Hitachi has produced more than 250,000 hydraulic excavators since 1965. Its main manufacturing plant in Tsuchiura, Japan has a monthly capacity of 2,400 units. Many of its trucks are produced in Guelph, Ontario, Euclid’s longtime manufacturing home.
Engineering and Testing
All of Hitachi’s equipment features superior engineering that help it deliver the best results to customers. The company’s excavators, including its newly-released EX-6 series, are designed to provide low cost of operation and high productivity. Excavators are designed to have a life of 60,000 to 100,000 operating hours.
“Many Hitachi shovels are still being efficiently operated past the 100,000-hour mark, and more than a few have outlasted the pit and sometimes even the entire mine that they started to dig,” the company says.
“It is that legacy that has made the Hitachi mining excavators the leading brand year after year.”
The truck frames used in Hitachi trucks are among the strongest of their kind and utilize a trailing-arm suspension that decreases lower frame stress and tire wear. The trucks’ signature body design is based on Euclid models, many of which are still in use.
Hitachi maintains its product quality through extensive testing of each component used in its machines. After testing, each model goes into the field for one year during a pre-production period, during which engineers monitor all components. After this period, the model is introduced for sale. “Pre-production models have been operating at select mines throughout the world, in varying conditions. During that period, various components have been modified and tested again, so that the EX-6 model you buy really is not ‘new,’ it’s the result of thousands of hours of rugged use,” the company says.
Customer Support
Engineering and production are not the only areas the company excels in. Each piece of equipment is sold and supported by a worldwide dealer network. Dealers are required to meet company standards in financial strength, service, and customer satisfaction before carrying the line. All dealers invest heavily in equipment, parts and training.
“Hitachi is committed to building long-term, mutually beneficial customer relationships through responsive, flexible product support,” the company says. “Since our Hitachi products are world-class, so are our dealers.”