In May 2023, Finnish construction machinery and equipment dealer Rotator celebrates its 40th anniversary of working with the Hitachi Construction Machinery brand. The company was the first Finnish dealer to represent Japanese-manufactured excavators – and Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (HCME) looks forward to its continued offering to the Finnish market for many more years to come.

Tampereen Rakennuskone Oy was first established as a heavy machinery rental company (and as a product of pre-existing Lokomo Oy construction dealer) in 1954. It took its new name of Rotator Oy seven years later in 1961 after a switch from rental to sales.

Significant business development led to a sale in ownership in the 1970s – meaning Rotator became an independent company. Its head office is based in Pirkkala, near Tampere. Rotator officially signed its dealership contract with Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd in 1983 – and both partners haven’t looked back since.

The first model to be delivered to Finland was the UH081, weighing 18.5 tonnes, and bought by Karkkilan Kaivuu- ja Kuljetus Oy in April 1983. During the first year, Rotator delivered a total of 10 Hitachi excavators: nine UH081 models and one UH121 (weighing 26 tonnes). Sales grew strongly even from the early years and by the end of 1986, a total of 76 Hitachi excavators had been delivered to Finland. By June 1998, another significant milestone was reached: 200 Hitachi machines had been sold in Finland.

A successful partnership

Managing Director Janne Wartiovaara says: “Rotator is proud to have worked with Hitachi Construction Machinery all these years. Its excavators and service are always top-quality.”

With winter conditions proving particularly challenging in Finland, Rotator’s partnership with HCME has allowed it to supply reliable equipment that can endure the conditions of demanding job sites, including mines – for which Rotator is one of the country’s leading machine suppliers. According to Janne Wartiovaara: “Our relationship has allowed us to establish a reputation for high levels of performance and reliability.”

Hitachi Construction Machinery’s other solutions, such as Global e-Service, have also proven valuable to Rotator over the years. The dealer encourages customers to adopt these applications and offers warranties and maintenance contracts through HELP (Hitachi Extended Life Program). After Sales Director Jukka Oksanen also adds: “We receive excellent support from HCME’s European Parts Centre.”

Rotator was also able to start offering Hitachi equipment rental contracts over ten years ago – a sector which has increased in size and demand since. Its Hitachi Construction Machinery rental fleet has proven extremely popular, with the most in-demand models being medium crawler excavators. The dealer’s market share, as well as Hitachi Construction Machinery’s share in Finland, has only improved since the two partnered with one another.

Expansion and innovation

Rotator Oy has demonstrated consistent overall growth, in line with the wider market, over the past 40 years – thanks to the high quality of its machines and service. The dealer has expanded its online presence, while still offering a bespoke, in-person customer experience through annual open house events, where they display and promote new models.

The company has invested heavily in after-sales – taking full advantage of Hitachi’s Support Chain programme. A significant proportion of the dealer’s large staff work in the after-sales department, further cementing its priority of good customer support.

After Sales Director Jukka Oksanen agrees on Rotator’s key values: “Our target is to respond right away to a customer’s request and ideally ensure it is dealt with by the next day at the latest.”

Always moving forward…

Looking to the future, Rotator Oy remains committed to this focus on the customer experience. It looks forward to continuing its long-lasting partnership with HCME, with the objective of being Finland’s dealer of choice for construction machinery. Janne Wartiovaara says: “Our future strategy will focus on helping our customers to improve their productivity and safety.”

HCME President Takaharu Ikeda says: “Congratulations to Rotator Oy on its 40th anniversary as our valued partner in Finland. With nine offices, 160 professionals, more than 40 service vehicles, and an expert sales and after-service organisation, the service it provides to our customers in Finland is always of the highest quality and we look forward to our continued partnership.”