Reliable rental – 24/7!

Italian Hitachi dealer SCAI has been renting eight ZW180 wheel loaders for eight years to the Tampieri Group in the city of Faenza. Following the success of this arrangement, the two companies have signed a third successive rental agreement and Tampieri has taken delivery of eight new ZW180-6s.

Reliable rental – 24/7!

Following its 90-year anniversary in 2018, the Tampieri Group is now firmly established as the market leader for the processing of sunflower oil in Italy and number one for the production of grape seed oil in the world. A key part of the company’s manufacturing process involves the handling of the seeds and other raw materials by its hard-working fleet of medium wheel loaders.

These have been rented from the Italian Hitachi dealer, SCAI, since 2011 when the rental contract for these machines came up for renewal. After researching the market for other companies who use wheel loaders for a similar purpose, Tampieri met with representatives from five manufacturers as part of the purchasing process.

Importance of cooperation

“It’s not only important for us to choose a rental supplier, but also to make this selection based on the level of cooperation,” say Franco Tampieri. “I learnt this invaluable lesson from my father and grandfather. As a result, we look for those who not only offer a competitive price, but also who will be by our side. The overall reflection of this was good within the initial Hitachi rental proposal.

“We were introduced to Hitachi and SCAI through a personal recommendation. Since the very first meeting, I have had a good feeling about renting the Hitachi wheel loaders from SCAI and how seriously they take their work. They have an answer to every question and understand our preferred way of working.”

The initial order was for eight ZW180s and these machines were replaced by eight new ZW180-5s when the rental agreement was renewed in 2015. Then at the end of the second four-year rental contract, the terms were once again agreed for the delivery of eight new ZW180-6s in 2019.

An excellent experience

“We decided to continue renting Hitachi wheel loaders from SCAI in 2015 and 2019, because we have been happy not only with the machines, but also the technical and administrative support,” adds Franco. “We’ve had an excellent experience and they have continued to deliver good value for money.

“Our first target is always the support we receive, because we don’t stop and our machines work round the clock. Our rental supplier needs to resolve any problems quickly. We don’t want to think about the machines after the contract has been signed and we like to have a fixed cost, so that there are no unknowns.”

This view was echoed by Tampieri’s Purchase Department Coordinator, Pietro Tampieri. “If you buy machines, you are also responsible for their maintenance and servicing – and this isn’t our area of expertise. In addition, it’s not just the capital cost of the machines you have to consider, but also the running costs.

“As the machines operate 24/7, our rental agreement with SCAI is successful because the technical support is fast, and keeps them up and running at all times. The ZW180-6s are critical to our operation as they feed the manufacturing process, and that’s why we need reliable machines.

“It’s all about peace of mind and that’s the most important thing about renting the wheel loaders. If there are any issues, then we just call SCAI. If there’s a technical issue that can’t be resolved within one day for whatever reason, then they would supply us with another machine.”

The perfect machine

The Hitachi ZW180-6s continually move the stockpiles of seed and flour (produced from the seed) from one part of the plant to another. The seeds are stored in the best possible place to be integrated within the production process and are therefore moved in the most efficient way – by wheel loader.

Each machine moves up to 1,000 tonnes of these materials per day and the operators work across three shifts. It’s not possible for them to work on all of the daytime tasks during the nightshift – due primarily to the lack of trucks – but the main priority is to ensure that they have enough seeds for the manufacturing process.

Christian Cimino, Tampieri’s Manager of Machinery says: “The wheel loaders’ reliability is of course vital – we shouldn’t have any downtime. We have seen the development of the different ZW180s, so that the latest ZW180-6 is easier to use, more intuitive and has more technology.

“The visibility from the cab has also improved and there is a fuel saving of around 20% over the previous model. It has excellent capacity for loading and carrying the piles of seed and other materials. In my opinion, without doubt it’s the perfect machine!”