2023 retrospective: did our experts get it right?

At the start of the year our experts shared their predictions and ambitions for 2023 – now it’s time to see how accurate they were, and just how much can happen in 365 days at HCME!

The realities of rental

“Customers can look forward to better availability of equipment to meet the demands of their projects in the coming year.”

According to Rental Manager Rene Danielsson, demand and availability became more balanced in 2023. And as he also predicted, Premium Rental continued to grow. New dealers were added to the programme and existing ones developed their rental business further. “We now have 38 Hitachi dealers active with five new dealers in Italy and Eastern Europe starting in 2023,” he says. This year also saw the introduction of new products and features: “We keep tailoring the rent-2-rent product to our customer needs, adding new features such as the FlexStarter and Rental Holiday Programme, making the decision to start with rental easier and bringing even greater flexibility to customers.” Accuracy rating: 4/5

Find out more about Premium Rental

“Electric machines will be included in the offering, and will no doubt contribute to our target of reaching 1,000 active rental machines in 2023.”

HCME surpassed its target of 1,000 active rental machines in 2023, achieving approximately 1,267 by the end of the year – significantly higher than expected! Rene says: “Rental is becoming more important for our dealers. Due to the new economic circumstances, sales decisions are postponed and replaced by rental contracts.” Accuracy rating: 5/5

“In uncertain times, customers will choose not to invest but will continue to do their business with rental machines and will look for more flexible solutions.”

In 2023 dealers and customers have taken more of a cautious approach when it comes to making decisions on replacing or increasing their fleet. Rene has witnessed this in 2023 and states: “As long as the economic outlook is uncertain, rental will grow even faster. With rental, customers do not need to invest and are flexible in the rental period.” Accuracy rating: 5/5

Digital developments

“We can expect to see even more machines with machine control and guidance, tool tracking and recognition, and safety features direct from the factory – all contributing to greater productivity, safety, and interconnectivity.”

As predicted, HCME made strides in the digital side of the construction industry in 2023. “We consolidated our ICT machinery technology, focussing on 3D, and added an additional option for customers to allow them to order factory-fit, 3D-ready for either Leica Geosystems or Trimble, and a full turn-key 3D Leica solution” says Product Manager James Deighton. “We are now working with seven countries to offer customers factory-fit machines.”

Product Manager Pooja Gupta adds: “The focus in 2023 has been on being a complete solution provider by prioritising machine and solutions together. With offerings such as the telematics API and the launch of DMP (Data Management Platform), we at Hitachi aimed to do that.” Improvements were also made to the ConSite apps this year, taking the user experience outside of the machine. “With the ConSite Pocket app, the machine owners and operators can better understand the fuel level, oil condition, and much more,” says Product Manager Arthur da Rocha Geremia. Accuracy rating: 4/5

Learn more about our ConSite

“With plenty of solutions and providers in the market, choosing the right partner for digital construction solutions will be an important consideration for customers.”

HCME saw a wider adoption of digital solutions in 2023 with customers proactively requesting their new machine to be equipped with ConSite, APIs, and machine control and guidance. ICT machinery is growing, with more and more customers now understanding the benefits, having experienced the increased productivity in their workflow.

HCME’s digital offering is continuing to develop, according to Arthur: “As a company we want to be in the forefront, always offering cutting-edge technology to our customers, ensuring their demands are met.” Product Manager Pooja Gupta adds: “There is definitely space for innovation in construction and our customers are looking for good solutions. Reaching the right customers at the right time remains important.” Accuracy rating: 4/5

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Events exceeded expectations

“ConExpo in March promises to be bigger than ever with 1,800 exhibitors. In May, SaMoTer returns in Italy, followed by Plantworx in June.”

There were plenty of opportunities for customers to explore our new products and solutions in person – with some events returning for the first time since the pandemic. Le Dig Tour in France, TKD and IRE in the Netherlands, SaMoTer in Italy, and Plantworx in the UK were among the highlights. Over 40,000 visitors from over 90 countries attended the 31st SaMoTer, and the HCME stand was even visited by Italy’s Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani. Meanwhile, the 28th TKD event had 17 Hitachi machines on show, including three electric excavators and the premiere of the ZX95US-7. And the successful Dig Tour was held in several locations in France, including Rouen (with 2,000 visitors to the HCMF stand) and Nantes (which welcomed 2,500 visitors). Accuracy rating: 3/5

Product predictions

“Sustainability will be a key theme across all events this year. The Hitachi electric excavator line-up will see some further developments, meeting the growing need for zero-emission equipment.”

The new eight-tonne zero-emission ZX85U-6EB electric excavator was displayed at several shows across Europe for the first time, as development of the Hitachi electric excavator range continued. The fuel-efficient and versatile ZX95US/USB-7 models also made their European debuts this year. Accuracy rating: 3/5

View the ZX85U-6EB

“The Zaxis-6 mini excavator range will also see some new enhancements, while the launch of the compact ZX95US-7 and ZX95USB-7 excavators is hotly anticipated. And the Zaxis-7 special application machine range will be expanded with some new additions for forestry, below-ground excavation, and slope finishing.”

While continually improving machines to enhance efficiency, HCME has also focused on operator experience. It took the opportunity to update the Zaxis-6 mini excavator range this year, complying with the latest harmonised standards for machinery, with some additional comfort and safety features that responded directly to customer needs. HCME launched several special application machines, as promised at the start of the year – including the ZX490LCH-7 super long front and ZX135USL-7 forestry excavators. And there was further good news: “Material shortages for excavators that were experienced post-Covid in the industry improved drastically throughout the year,” says Product Manager Wilbert Blom. Accuracy rating: 5/5

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Summary

Our experts summarise 2023 as “a year of big change and adoption” with some challenges, having to face many changes in the market. However, Arthur da Rocha Geremia feels reassured by this year’s performance: “The market demand meeting our new developments shows us we’re on the right track, and our customers are happy.”

The increased adoption of the ConSite solutions, the expansion of Solution Linkage’s ICT machinery market, new product development, and demand and availability becoming more balanced in 2023, have made this year a successful one for HCME and our customers. Here’s looking forward to 2024!

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