Hitachi presents mini excavator to Dutch technical school

Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (HCME) has donated a mini excavator to Bouwschool Breda in The Netherlands. The handover ceremony took place at the end of May, with students, teachers and representatives from HCME in attendance. The ZX18-3 will be used for practical tutorials, and provide students with invaluable practical experience.   

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Bouwschool Breda specialises in production, engineering and maintenance, and offers vocational training for students aged between 16 and 25. It is situated close to HCME’s Oosterhout factory, which oversees the production of around 20 mini excavators per day.

The presentation will further strengthen the links between the two organisations, with a number of graduates finding employment at the Oosterhout site. In support of this, students are also given additional opportunities to take factory tours, or attend one of the open days that occur throughout the year.

“The ZX18-3 will be an excellent fit for Bouwschool Breda,” says HCME Product Specialist, Joep van den Maagdenberg. “Not only will students have access to the very latest equipment, but it is a well-designed machine that they can get enthusiastic about. It is also important that pupils are able to learn about safety, and they will get to do so at the school’s authentic replica job site.”

The donation was proposed by HCME’s Advisor Production & Procurement Tonny Engels, who has worked at the factory for over 30 years in a variety of roles. “Due to our close ties with the school, we were pleased to have created this opportunity,” he says. “The ZX18-3 was originally a prototype that was used to fine-tune the production line. However, we’re glad we got to find another use for it!

“Hopefully, it will encourage students to become the Hitachi workforce of the future,” Tonny continues. “We see it as a win-win situation – the machine will give pupils the chance to test their skills on a working model, and we will hopefully welcome enthusiastic engineers and technicians to HCME in the future.”