Reliability is key

French company SAS Besnier, based in Le Grand-Celland, is the largest customer of Hitachi dealer Cobemat and has a fleet of 52 Zaxis excavators. One of its most memorable projects in recent years was at Mont-Saint-Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of Europe’s major pilgrimage destinations for centuries.

French company SAS Besnier, based in Le Grand-Celland, is the largest customer of Hitachi dealer Cobemat and has a fleet of 52 Zaxis excavators. One of its most memorable projects in recent years was at Mont-Saint-Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of Europe’s major pilgrimage destinations for centuries.

Topped by a gravity-defying abbey, the island is one of the most scenic locations in France. While it has been prone to silting up over the last couple of centuries, a major conservation project in 2015 has helped restore its island status.

Monsieur Besnier recalls: “What marked the evolution of our company, as well as an interesting period, was the job site at Mont-Saint-Michel. We used our super long front machine and other excavators, for example with wide tracks, adapted for maritime job site conditions.

“The versatility and quality of these Hitachi machines played a big part in the success of this project. We needed excavators that were highly reliable for such tidal works, and Mont-Saint-Michel was a large-scale project for us.”