Ten years and counting – why a UK contractor stays true to Hitachi

When Brendan Carty decided to set up his own business in 2004, there was no doubt in his mind what the colour and brand of machinery would be. “Since I moved to England in the 1980s from Ireland, I have operated and supervised Hitachi excavators, from the UH063 and EX150. They were all reliable and user-friendly.”

Since he purchased his first machine, a ZX130LCN-5 in March 2014, he has invested in more than 200 Zaxis models for his company, Shannonside Civil Engineering Ltd. Today, its fleet in excess of 100 excavators is made up of three- to 30-tonne models, from the ZX33U-6 mini to the ZX350-7 medium. They work on multiple sites within an 80-mile radius of the company’s headquarters in Redditch, in the Midlands.

The reliability, high residual value, and consistent quality of Hitachi excavators over the last decade, have resulted in a strong working relationship between Shannonside and Hitachi Construction Machinery UK. “I think that if the product is good, the relationship is easy. The sales team is knowledgeable and there when you need them. Representatives of other brands don’t come near me, as they know I’m Hitachi through and through, and they’d be wasting their time!”

Brendan sells the 13-tonne and under machines after three years, and the larger excavators after four to five years: “They don’t move around as much as the smaller ones, so there is less wear,” he explains.

Every machine he has owned, except one, has been sold to the same used machinery dealer in Ireland.

This includes the first ZX130LCN-5 from ten years ago, which he hopes to be reunited with one day. “Eventually I hope to buy it back and put it on the family farm in Ireland,” he says with a smile.