The third and final visit to a Hitachi customer for our client’s corporate brand movie was to meet up with the Dutch contractor, A Molenaar. The company’s owner, André Molenaar, has an impressive history and a long-established relationship with Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV’s domestic dealer (HCM Nederland).
A proud history
André’s grandfather, Adam Molenaar established his farming company near Rotterdam with a horse and plough in 1941. His successor (and André’s uncle) Aris Molenaar, diversified into the construction sector. When André joined forces with Aris in 1998, the company curtailed its agricultural work in favour of construction.
When Aris left the company in 2006, André worked in partnership with his cousin until the start of 2019. Then, his three sons (Peter, Arno and René) took on a 63% share of the company to their father’s stake of 37%.
Looking ahead
Across four generations, the family’s successful partnership with HCM Nederland has blossomed to a fleet of 20 machines. And by coincidence, André confirmed to us during our visit, “We have owned all four generations of two Hitachi models, the ZX210 medium and ZX140W wheeled excavators – from the original Zaxis line-up through to the -3, -5 and -6 models.”
When we asked why he has bought as many as 40 Hitachi machines, André explains: “The machines, service and people continue to be excellent. There is a good price/quality ratio, a strong resale value and they are even beautiful to look at!
“When I was 30, my dream was to own a company and it came true. If my grandfather could see how his company had developed, he would be very proud and amazed at what four generations of men and machines have achieved.”
To see our movie of A Molenaar, please click here.