My
My name is Geert Huysmans and I operate a Hitachi ZX360W-3 for Mermans Beton NV in northern Belgium. Mermans Beton was established in 1969 by three brothers. The company produces ready-made concrete for companies in Belgium and The Netherlands.
Its plant is located on the banks of the Dessel-Schoten canal in Arendonk, close to the Dutch border. It has a fleet of 14 trucks that deliver the concrete to construction, farming and industrial companies within a 40km radius of Arendonk.
The ZX360W-3 wheeled material-handling machine is used to unload sand and gravel from ships, and to load the conveyor belt that transports the material into the concrete mixing plant. The company produces up to 100m³ per hour and up to 1,000m³ per day. It employs 25 people at this site.
HITACHI
The Hitachi ZX360W-3 is Mermans Beton’s first Hitachi model and was delivered in May 2009. It is equipped with a 1.8m³ clamshell bucket and has completed 385 working hours.
The company chose Hitachi because of its proximity to the official Belgian Hitachi dealer, Luyckx. It switched from a different manufacturer because its distributor was a two-hour drive away. Luyckx is only a half-hour drive away from Mermans Beton and provides the company with a high level of customer service.
Experience
Compared to the previous material handling machine, made by a different manufacturer, the Hitachi ZX360W-3 is much smoother to operate, due to its advanced hydraulics. It is also a quiet machine and easy to manoeuvre thanks to user-friendly controls. The arm is shorter than that of the previous machine, which also makes it easier to control.
BELGIUM > ZX360W > MATERIAL HANDLING