As part of our work for the Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) (HCME) brand, we got stuck in to help with their 50th anniversary celebrations in 2022. So, back in September, the RED team paid a visit to some valued HCME customers in The Netherlands: Kloosterman BV and Arco de Visser.
Established in 1915, Kloosterman BV is one of HCME’s oldest customers in The Netherlands and is a family business. Our Editorial Director Kerrie met with the founder’s great-grandson Carlo, who runs the company. He’s grown his team from 18 employees to 48 since 2000.
It was fantastic to get feedback from such a long-standing HCME customer – who bought their first Hitachi excavator (a UH06) over 40 years ago, in 1980. We were delighted to find that they continue to stick with the brand and have had between 40 and 50 Hitachi machines in total. Carlo tells us that the reason they still support the brand is because of “the service we get from our local sub-dealer, Pladdet, the back-up from Hitachi in Oosterhout, and the overall quality of Hitachi machines”.
Meanwhile, this occasion marked our second visit to the fellow Dutch contractor Arco de Visser. It was great to witness first-hand just how much the company has grown since our last meeting – and how they’ve remained a huge fan of the Hitachi brand! We were delighted to hear that they’ve recently put a Hitachi ZX85USB-6 to work on an exciting project in Zeeland, maintaining part of the dyke on Neeltje Jans.
They’ve been a Hitachi customer since 2005 and Arco tells us he’s purchased 15 of the company’s machines since then, saying: “My favourite is the ZX210 because if its high capacity, manoeuvrability, and how easy it is to transport.” He has continued to buy Hitachi machines over the years because of the price and excellent service.
Brilliant feedback all round, and a lovely trip for RED. Thanks to both Carlo and Arco for their warm welcome – we hope to see you again soon!
Check out one of the final 50th anniversary videos we created below: