Jubilee presents electric five-tonner

Equipment show Bauma will be big party for Hitachi at the end of October

This year, Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV is celebrating its 50th anniversary at Bauma. In addition to a party atmosphere, there will of course be plenty of machine news, including the first electric 5-ton midi-excavator for Europe, the new ZX490LCH-7 excavator with extra-long boom, two Zaxis-7 demolition machines and a ZX210LC-7 with factory-installed 3D machine control from Leica Geosystems.

It began under the leadership of Mr. Okajima with only four employees in Oosterhout, the Netherlands. There, in 1972, Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV was established as the European subsidiary of HCM Group. Half a century later, HCME has grown into a successful international organization, with a first-class manufacturing facility in the Netherlands and supported by an extensive dealer network. Today HCME employs more than 700 people and operates throughout Europe, parts of Africa and Israel. At Bauma, the 50th anniversary will be celebrated in detail and the growing number of customers will get to see some future-oriented machine novelties.

Electric 5-tonner

Following the 8.7-ton ZE85 electric tracked excavator, Hitachi is now taking a step down and introducing the ZX55U-6EB, a compact electric-powered tracked excavator with a short swing radius that allows it to work well in tight spaces. The ZX55U-6EB is the first of its kind to be manufactured entirely in-house by Hitachi. Customers can choose between an in-house power supply with 39 kWh lithium-ion batteries and a wired power supply. The latter has the advantage that the machine can continue working while being charged by a CEE 400VAC 3-phase power source.

Of interest to both machine operator and equipment fleet manager/rental company is the ability to remotely monitor the status of the electric drive system, including battery level and motor load. The ZX55U-6 EB will not be officially unveiled until Bauma, but was already on display as a first along with the ZE85 during the 50th anniversary open day, which took place on Sept. 17 at HCME's factory in Amsterdam.

Long boom and arm

At the Hitachi booth, it is prominent: the 49-ton ZX490LCH-7 HE16LD. This tracked excavator has a longer main boom and arm than the standard ZX490-7 model, giving it a 16-meter reach. This makes it ideal for excavation, river or lake dredging, shore maintenance and light embankment finishing. With its extra-long boom and arm, it can also be used to load tipper trucks and dump trucks.

Also at the booth, we will see a 22-ton crawler excavator ZX210LC-7 with pre-installed 3D machine control from Leica Geosystems. The value-added 3D system has been installed at HCME's factory in Amsterdam as part of the new Hitachi Customised Solutions platform. Benefits include: factory warranty and financing are in one package and the operator receives hands-on training immediately upon delivery of the machine. 

Two demolition cranes

There is an increasing demand in Europe for powerful demolition machines, which on the one hand can work with larger attachments and on the other can also be used for secondary demolition work. Hitachi is therefore presenting both the ZX390TC-7 and the ZX400MC-7. Both are 40-tonners with Stage V engines. Thanks to a larger boom and bucket cylinders, plus a higher class reinforced quick-change system, the ZX390TC-7 can carry implements of up to 5 tons. An additional counterweight of 1.4 tons and a 25-centimeter longer undercarriage should ensure sufficient stability.

The ZX400MC-7 is much more of a multi-carrier, which can be widely used. For this purpose, it can be equipped with a monog boom, two-piece boom and special demolition booms with a height range of 21 or even 24 meters. It is one of three new machines for special applications developed in exclusive cooperation with German specialist KTEG. Versatility is further enhanced by the triple boom cylinder, adjustable undercarriage and longer track frame.