Hitachi dealer wins largest order in Portuguese rental market

The Portuguese Hitachi construction machinery dealer, Moviter, has won a competitive tender issued by Machrent for the supply of 24 mini and medium excavators. This represented the largest order of its kind in the country last year, and consisted of two Hitachi ZX17U-5s, nine ZX26U-5s, three ZX33U-5s, five ZX55U-5s and five ZX85USB-5s.

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The distinctive Hitachi Zaxis-5 machines were supplied with a quick coupler and three buckets each. They have also been painted in Machrent’s distinct and corporate green colour by Moviter.

An unbeatable combination

“From the outset, Moviter was proactive in terms of its solution and how it could optimise its proposal,” says Machrent shareholder Salvador Posser de Andrade. “Along with Hitachi and Hitachi Capital, this proved to be an unbeatable combination of dealer, manufacturer and finance company.

“There was a wide range of factors involved in the decision. We looked at the reliability associated with each brand, as well as the importance of durability and quality to our customers. Hitachi also produce larger excavators – as well as minis – and so this gives us the opportunity to expand into other product categories.”

Another important factor was Moviter’s Hitachi Support Chain after-sales programme. “Speed was the critical factor for the parts and service items,” adds Salvador. “We were looking for a partner with the infrastructure to deliver to the required standards over the four-year contract. This included the availability of fast-moving parts on a pay-as-we-use basis.”

Future direction

Established in December 2007, Machrent now has over 50 employees. Based near Lisbon, the company focuses on the utilities, maintenance and renovation markets.

“We are enjoying moderate growth and the mid- to long-term market outlook appears optimistic,” says Machrent CEO Paulo Marques Martins. “Therefore, we have decided to invest in new Hitachi excavators, as our customers demand high-quality products and they are the reason we exist.

“We are selling and marketing the Hitachi fleet based on the fact that we have such new and reliable, mobile and productive excavators for hire. Low fuel consumption is also something we are promoting for these machines.
“If this strategy goes well, we intend to buy more mini excavators and possibly other products in the Hitachi line-up. We expect the market to continue growing and we aim to be in a strong position to take advantage of this forecast.”