Tokyo, Japan February 18, 2020 —- Hitachi Construction Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. (TSE: 6305; “Hitachi Construction Machinery”) in the People’s Republic of China (“China”), today announced that it has developed mini excavator for civil construction use ZX60C-5A (standard bucket capacity 0.19m³, operating mass 5.4t) for the Chinese market. Test marketing will commence in February with the launch of 50 units for the domestic Chinese market.

The Hitachi Construction Machinery Group is working toward realization of globally unified ‘Made by Hitachi’ quality with the aim of standardizing and enhancing the level of quality throughout the entire group. The Hitachi Construction Machinery Group is highly rated on the Chinese market for the quality and performance of its products, including their durability and operability, and its after-sales service using ConSite^® to support stable operation of construction machinery by remote monitoring and data reporting is also highly regarded.

Due to urban development in China and demand for infrastructure construction, demand for mini excavators is growing rapidly. The mini excavator for civil construction use was developed to meet the needs of the Chinese market with its demand for better cab comfort, for mainly used for excavation work and cost-performance of products while maintaining existing quality and performance.

Following Hitachi Construction Machinery’s drafting of a product strategy through the collection and aggregation of customer needs, the mini excavator for civil construction use was jointly developed by Hitachi Construction Machinery (China) Co., Ltd. which develops and manufactures mini and hydraulic excavators in China, and Hitachi Construction Machinery Tierra Co., Ltd. which is responsible for the Hitachi Construction Machinery Group’s compact machinery business. The mini excavator for civil construction use leverages the knowledge obtained through Value Engineering activities* in mini excavator development to date while incorporating the needs of the Chinese market.

Applications of mini excavator are diverse, such as civil construction, agriculture and forestry, landscaping, animal husbandry, demolition work, snow removal and others. The current mini excavator has the optimal specifications and structure for civil construction use such as road construction.

For example, of cab equipment and parts which have little direct effect on operability, the product price of the hydraulic equipment some parts which are key components of hydraulic excavators is suppressed by using domestic Chinese manufacturers that meet Hitachi Construction Machinery’s quality standards. In addition, the visual work field, comfort and a higher level of safety have been ensured by adopting a bigger cab than on previous mini excavators. At the same time, high durability has been achieved by upgrading the structural members used for the machinery body frame, while amenities such as the audio equipment can be selected at will by the customer after purchase of the mini excavator for civil construction use.

The current mini excavator for civil construction use was developed for test marketing and the timing of the launch and price of a mass-produced model are as yet undecided.

The Hitachi Construction Machinery Group will continue to share the market needs of countries and regions including China within the group and to promote product development in line with market needs in collaboration with its bases in Japan and around the world.

*： Value Engineering is a method in which the “value” of products and services is understood through the relationship between the “functionality” that they should provide and the “costs” which are applied to increase the “value” through a systematized process. Hitachi Construction Machinery Group are not simply reducing costs but aiming to achieve a balance between improving value for customers and improving the profits.