Hitachi Premium Rental offers added flexibility for French customer

Construction and earthmoving contractor Sarl Munari (video), based near Chamonix Mont Blanc, has rented a ZW180-6 wheel loader for a seasonal project through the Hitachi Premium Rental program.The new model was supplied by local Hitachi dealer Teramat in November 2018 to work on a snow removal contract in the ski resort of Les Houches.

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With a Hitachi fleet of nine excavators and three wheel loaders, Sarl Munari has been a customer of Teramat since 2011. “We are happy with Hitachi and wanted to stick to the same brand of machinery,” says Nicolas Munari, who owns the company with his three brothers. “We also have a good relationship with Teramat – it has a reputation for reliability, and excellent service and maintenance.”

To complete the new project, the company required a wheel loader that was larger than the ZW140-5 model it currently owns. “We wanted to see how it would go with our new customer, and if it could be used in the summer before purchasing a new machine,” explains Nicolas.

Reliable performance

He opted to rent the ZW180-6 for one year. During the winter months, it was fitted with tyre chains and a bucket blade for removing snow from hotel and cable car parking areas. As this work is usually carried out at night and in temperatures as low as -18°C, the wheel loader was perfectly equipped with powerful front and rear lights. Teramat also minimised the sound of the machine when it reversed to make it suitable for working in residential areas.

Nicolas was impressed by the speed of the rental process with Hitachi and Teramat, which took one month from his initial enquiry to delivery. “Before we agreed to do the work for the new customer, we checked with Teramat if a suitable machine would be available,” he says. “Availability is the most important consideration."

The Premium Rental programme was launched by Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV to offer greater flexibility to customers to meet the varying demands of their businesses. It has been a positive first experience for Sarl Munari, as Nicolas explains: “I would rent a Hitachi machine again, especially for a project with a time limit. If you buy, you need a line of credit, but you can rent a machine for a short period without that. The expenditure stops when you return the machine.”