For Hitachi, this year marks more than just the beginning of a new decade. It is a milestone achievement highlighting the start of full-scale production for Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd.

Jonny Spendlove, product marketing manager, excavators, Hitachi Construction Machinery – Americas, said:

“This milestone is possible because of Hitachi’s incredible customers and employees. Hitachi’s longevity is so impressive, and it’s a tribute to the machine quality and innovation. We continually provide the efficiency, reliability and durability our customers are looking for.”

Hitachi’s mass production of construction machinery kicked off in 1950 with the development of the U06 cable-operated shovel. The company also pioneered hydraulic technology in 1965 by building the UH03, the first hydraulic excavator in Japan made purely with domestic technologies. Since then, the company has continued to succeed as a major heavy equipment manufacturer. From compact excavators and foresters to mining shovels and haul trucks, Hitachi continues to provide the range of machines customers trust for their operations.

The company has established powerful partnerships along the way. In 1983, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. and Deere & Company collaborated to reach an OEM supply agreement. Since then, two joint venture companies with three manufacturing facilities have been created. In 2002, Hitachi and John Deere also integrated marketing operations in North, Central and South America to streamline decision-making and improve customer support.

Hitachi continues to make significant investments in its manufacturing facilities to boost future production capacity and efficiency. Each machine is built to order, made possible by a lean manufacturing system combined with a quality assurance process.

The company has kept its focus on integrating advanced technology into its equipment to further help customers increase efficiency, reliability and durability on jobsites. One such technology is Hitachi Solution Linkage Integrated Grade Control with Topcon. The new construction excavator technology allows an operator to set a grade and hold it – increasing efficiency while also lowering daily operating costs.

As Hitachi continues trekking its innovative path, new machines are introduced to meet and exceed customers’ needs. In 2019, that included the fuel-efficient EX-7 Series excavators: the EX1200-7, EX2600-7, EX3600-7 and EX5600-7.

Spendlove said:

“The Hitachi team is constantly developing new machines and technology that can give our customers a competitive edge. We thank our customers for trusting Hitachi equipment the last 70 years and look forward to a promising future.”

The article first appeared in Hitachi’s BREAKOUT Magazine, Fall 2020 issue, and it was written by Kristin Stires and Sarah Larson

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Today’s FrontRunner system operates around the clock, hauling copper, iron ore, oil sands, and coal at 11 customer sites across three continents. At the end of June 2020, there were 251 trucks in operation, with an additional 100 (mainly from installing AHS retrofit kits) planned to deploy within FY2020. Working closely with its customers, Komatsu teams developed the first commercially available autonomous haulage system to help mines move material more efficiently. First deployed in 2008 at CODELCO’s Gabriela Mistral (Gaby) copper mine in Chile, AHS brings together some of the world’s best-selling, ultra-class dump trucks with Modular Mining Systems’ DISPATCH Fleet Management System.

“Our mining customers’ ongoing investment in technology and equipment to transition to autonomous haulage underscores the value the system provides,”

said Toshio Kurokawa, General Manager of Marketing Department, Mining Business Division, Komatsu.

“We are gratified to have helped our customers save hundreds of millions of dollars while autonomously moving another billion metric tons of essential minerals and driving for zero harm. We are also honored that autonomous haulage has been a valuable resource to help our customers mitigate risks associated with the global Covid-19 pandemic.”

The FrontRunner system is designed to enable manually operated equipment (such as loaders, dozers, graders, light vehicles, etc.) to seamlessly interact in an autonomous truck environment. Komatsu recently introduced system functionality to enable manual haul trucks to also operate with the autonomous trucks. To further support the growth of autonomy in mining for its customers, Komatsu is leading initiatives within ISO to develop standards for interoperability between Komatsu and non-Komatsu autonomous vehicles.

Source: Komatsu

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