HCME Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Jean-Marc Probst

As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (HCME) held a dedicated awards evening in an exclusive venue overlooking the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium. The aim of the inaugural event was not only to commemorate the successes of its dealer network, but also to honour those who are helping to build a better future.

A lifetime of support and achievement

The only individual prize of the evening – the Lifetime Achievement Award – was designed to honour an individual who has supported HCME over many years. The winner of this inspiring accolade, Jean-Marc Probst from Swiss dealer Probst Maveg, was given a round of applause, led by HCM President Kotaro Hirano, and HCME President Takaharu Ikeda, for going above and beyond in his promotion of the Hitachi brand and values.

“It’s a big honour and surprise for me to win this award,” said Jean-Marc. “Probst Maveg has other suppliers other than Hitachi, but I don’t feel the same Japanese spirit. I feel connected to Japan and love to travel there. We share the same values of respecting our customers, respecting our employees and respecting each other.

“The biggest success in our time as the Swiss dealer was when HCME became responsible for the manufacture of its own equipment in Europe from the new factory in Amsterdam. Looking to the future, the situation may be unclear with the challenges we face at the current time, but we have the right product, team and experience – as well as the agility – to overcome these obstacles.”