HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY

Mergers and acquisitions are a natural form of growth and a strategy employed by many businesses for future expansion. The construction industry is no different. One company in Turkey has demonstrated that this approach can be beneficial to everyone concerned, and that in some cases more heads are definitely better than one.

Joint venture company Maden Yapi was established in 2005 by the owners of four separate quarrying companies, each with over 40 years’ industry experience. Located close to Istanbul at Gebze, the 50-acre limestone quarry produces raw aggregate for concrete and asphalt plants and has its own crushing and screening facilities.

The decision to join forces meant that the consolidated companies were no longer in competition. In addition, fewer people and less construction machinery and other equipment were required.

Its streamlined fleet includes three Hitachi Zaxis excavators. A ZX500LCH, ZX350LCH-3 and ZX520LCH-3 break and load loosened rock onto the back of dump trucks. Hitachi was selected as the brand of choice due to the co-owner Mr Surek’s previous experience with ENKA Pazarlama and Hitachi construction machinery.

“The potential annual output of the quarry is five million tonnes,” explains Mr Surek. “This year we expect to produce 70-80% of this figure. This includes graded materials, semi-raw aggregate and rocks. The law states that limestone can only be sold within a 25-mile radius of the quarry, and as the area is famous for its quarrying activity, we are all fighting over the same customers.

“We need to stay one step ahead of the competition and we believe that the machinery we use can help us achieve this objective. The Hitachi brand has made a name for itself in Turkey over the years. The Zaxis excavators offer excellent durability – which is important due to the hard ground – and have helped us to increase productivity and reduce overheads. As they work in a fixed position, fuel consumption is less than when we used to use wheel loaders solely for this purpose.”

The relationship with ENKA Pazarlama and HCME is also one of main reasons for selecting Hitachi construction machinery. “We are like one big family,” says a smiling Mr Surek. “ENKA Pazarlama’s office in Istanbul is about 15 minutes’ drive away and we know that we can rely on their team. This peace of mind means we can all sleep at night!”