A leading company in the Greek infrastructure industry is using several Hitachi Premium Rental machines on a high-profile road construction project on the mainland. Aigistos SA is working on 35km of a new 75km stretch of the Olympia Odos. When it is completed in 2024, it will provide a faster route between the cities of Patras and Pyrgos, and link to the existing toll motorway to Athens. It is one of the most important national strategic projects for the development of the region.

Road construction is typical of the work carried out by Aigistos, which also specialises in dams, quarrying, energy and construction projects. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Athens, the company employs 350 people and operates across the country.

According to Aigistos estimates, three million cubic metres of earth will be moved as part of the Olympia Odos extension. The company has had a Hitachi Premium Rental ZX890LCR-7 large excavator and a ZW220-7 wheel loader on site at Kourtesi since summer 2023 – both machines supplied by Hitachi dealer Helma SA.

Project Manager Vasilis Koletsis says: “Hitachi machines are very fuel-efficient and easy to operate. We are extremely satisfied with the service we receive from Helma. Their technician can be at the job site at 7am if needed.”

Hitachi also stands out from the competition when it comes to the supply of genuine parts: “The availability of spare parts is great, it can be two days’ delivery time for filters, for example. With other brands, it can be one or two months!”

In addition, only Hitachi works without problems relating to AdBlue, says Vasilis. “Many competitor machines have had pump-related issues, but Hitachi works well, without these problems.”

Rental advantages

The ZX890LCR-7 and ZW220-7 are part of Aigistos’ sizeable Premium Rental fleet – the company has also rented two additional ZX890-7 and four ZX490-7 large excavators, and two ZX180W-7 wheeled excavators from Helma SA. “An advantage of renting construction equipment is that new machines are more fuel-efficient and reliable, so they have less downtime than older models,” says Vasilis.

Helma Sales Consultant Fanis Karampetiadis says: “The rental market is growing in Greece as customers learn about the advantages it brings to their business. The last two years in particular have been a strong period. The government is investing in many new projects, like this one, which brings new opportunities for both Helma and Hitachi.”