Hitachi stands firm in Europe’s material handling market

Kraanbedrijf Buermans specializes in loading and unloading barges
and ships all over Belgium, The Netherlands and other
neighbouring countries. Established in 1977, it has 35 employees
and is based in Herentals, east of Antwerp.
Each year, the company is responsible for handling millions of
tonnes of material for its customers. It has a large fleet of
trucks, cranes and excavators, including 14 Hitachi machines,
from a ZX450 to a ZX850 with a long-reach boom. The company has been a customer of Belgium’s official Hitachi dealer, Luyckx, for 15 years. One of the new models can be seen working at the Albert
Kanaal in the Merksem harbour in Antwerp. Kraanbedrijf
Buermans has a year-long contract with Aveve, the market-leader
in Belgium for agricultural and horticultural supplies. It uses the
ZX360W-3 to unload soya and corn from 2,000dwt ships that
travel to the harbour from Germany.
Equipped with a clamshell bucket that can handle up to five
cubic metres of material, the ZX360W-3 unloads the grains into
a container that is linked to the Aveve factory across the street,
where it is used to produce animal feed. The factory works
round the clock and ships dock at Merksem 24 hours a day. The
ZX360W-3 was delivered in August 2008 and already has 2,200
working hours.
Company managers Daniel and Gerry Buermans, the sons of
founder Louis, are satisfied with the stability of the cab. The
ZX360W-3 has a strengthened chassis that has been designed
specifically for material handling and manufactured with thicker
plates for increased durability. The wide outrigger has also been
designed to achieve greater stability.
Luyckx sales manager Frank Naulaerts says, “Stability is
important, especially when the hydraulic cab is raised 5.4m high,
and the machine is turning while unloading. The excavator must
be positioned 1.5m away from the water’s edge and needs a
long boom to reach the ships and barges. Kraanbedrijf Buermans
tried other models, but they were not as stable as the
ZX360W-3.”
In addition to stability, Kraanbedrijf Buermans values the high
level of productivity provided by the ZX360W-3. “This is the
most important priority for our customers,” confirms Naulaerts.
The ZX360W-3 has a lifting capacity of 3.6 tonnes at a reach of
15m and its maximum reach of 16.1m is the furthest in its class.
The ZX360W-3’s operator says the machine is smooth and
precise to operate. This is due to an improved hydraulic system,
which also helps to boost productivity. “The cab is comfortable; I
like the air conditioning and appreciate the low-noise engine,” he
says. “I’m also satisfied with the way the hydraulic cab lifts — I
can see inside the ship easily without straining and feel safe while
I am working.”
The investment by Kraanbedrijf Buermans in two Hitachi
ZX360W-3s is particularly significant considering the relatively
recent entry by Hitachi into a competitive market. “There are
many material handling companies operating in Belgium,” says
Naulaerts. “Some of them use machines produced by
manufacturers that have specialized in this type of equipment for
30 years,” he explains.
With the support of Luyckx and its network of European
dealers, however, Hitachi can offer customers an extremely high
level of customer service.