Equipment report

Hitachi Construction Machinery Loaders America names new president

Hitachi Construction Machinery Loaders America Inc. (HCMA), Newnan, Georgia, has announced Masaaki Hirose is retiring from his current position as company president. HCMA Vice President (VP) of Operations Al Quinn will succeed him in day-to-day management.

Hirose has accepted a new position within Hitachi, now serving as chairman and director of HCMA and VP of the Hitachi Americas Operations Group. Quinn has become the managing director, reporting to Hirose.

Thanking HCMA employees for their support during his tenure, Hirose noted his close collaboration with Quinn in striving to establish HCMA as a top-tier player in the wheel loader industry.

“Al joined us in 2017 and took the lead in several of our key customer-facing roles,” Hirose says. “His profound expertise and experience in our industry have been crucial to our success in sales, marketing, parts and service and purchasing. Now, as managing director, he will continue to provide leadership in those areas, with additional responsibilities for corporate and production operations.”

As Quinn accepted his appointment, he recognized key milestones that HCMA has achieved since it began operations in January 2018.

“We have certainly gone through tremendous change in the past two years, but I want to say thank you to Masaaki for his dedication and commitments to improving our company,” Quinn says. “It is very rewarding to see the improvements that we are making in market share, profitability and better serving our customers.”

Under Hirose’s leadership, HCMA has seen 175 percent growth in revenue and has nearly doubled its market share, the company says. Last June, the company celebrated the opening of its new U.S. corporate headquarters and training facility, representing a $4 million investment in support for customers and dealers in the Americas.

Speaking to more than 30 Hitachi wheel loader dealers at HCMA’s first national conference, Quinn said, “It’s great for all wheel loader customers to have access to an alternative global brand. We expect to exceed customer expectations.

“Expectations are high, and that also drives change. While we have accomplished much, we still have much more to do,” Quinn continued. “We will stay on course to implement the strategies and plans that have been working for us through the past two years. No radical new plans are expected. I am very optimistic that we are creating a very bright future for HCMA.”

Husqvarna opens new distribution center

Husqvarna Construction Products, headquartered in Olathe, Kansas, announced it has expanded with a new 150,000-square-foot distribution center in Lenexa, Kansas. The distribution center is one mile away from the company’s headquarters and central warehouse and has been designed to enhance the company’s shipping and receiving functions.

The new distribution center now houses all of the company’s finished goods. According to Husqvarna, this will allow the company to increase its manufacturing capabilities while ensuring expediency in shipping customer orders.

The center has been designed to give Husqvarna three times the receiving and shipping capacity than its previous location. The size and layout of the new facility also enables the company to process up to five times the amount of inbound inventory every day.

The increased capacity has resulted in 16 new positions.

Fire Rover wins top industrial safety award

Fire Rover, West Bloomfield, Michigan, has announced that was awarded the top prize for its fire elimination technology at The Edison Awards, which were held April 4 in New York City. The Edison Awards are given out annually by Palos Park, Illinois-based Edison Universe, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering future innovators.

Fire Rover’s technology utilizes heat detection, remote-controlled suppression and 24/7 live monitoring services to protect businesses from the threat of fire. The company’s technology is used in a number of business applications, including in the waste and recycling sectors.

“Once again, the winners created innovations that are revolutionizing industries and becoming indispensable. One of the game-changing winners, Fire Rover, was recognized as a true innovator in industrial safety,” says Frank Bonafilia, the executive director of the Edison Awards.

Kinshofer acquires Hammer SRL

Kinshofer, a German-based global manufacturer of excavator and loader crane attachments with U.S. offices in Sanborn, New York, has announced it is expanding its product line to include hydraulic breaker excavator attachments following its acquisition of Hammer SRL, an Italy-based manufacturer of demolition, excavation, recycling and material handling attachments. Kinshofer says it chose the company because of its reputation for quality and more than 30 years of experience in the market. The new line includes 22 breakers for carriers ranging from a half ton to 200 tons.

“These breakers allow us to offer our customers access to a full range of attachments all in one place,” Kinshofer North America General Manager Francois Martin says. “Hammer will be a great addition to our group of companies, bringing with them high-quality attachments and a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.”

The breakers are made up of the KSB Series for carriers from a half ton to 12 tons and the KFX Series for weights from 8 to 200 tons. Each line includes features to improve operator comfort, reduce wear and increase longevity, according to the company. The acquisition also includes a variety of grapples, buckets and more. These will serve as an alternative to Kinshofer’s premium attachment line for the price-restricted customer.

The Hammer management team will remain intact in its entirety and will continue manufacturing in Italy. Hammer and Kinshofer will add additional staff to ensure a smooth launch of Hammer’s products and services worldwide through Kinshofer’s global network.

“We send representatives to every manufacturing facility we acquire to ensure quality standards are consistent,” Martin says. “It’s important to us that our customers receive only the best.”

Hammer attachments will retain branding in Europe but will be marked Kinshofer in North American markets.

EvoQuip names new international sales director

EvoQuip, a brand of Westport, Connecticut-based Terex Corp., has announced the appointment of Barry O’Hare to the position of EvoQuip international sales director.

O’Hare has worked in a number of positions for Northern Ireland-based Powerscreen and Terex Minerals Processing Systems (MPS) over the past 11 years, most recently as a Powerscreen regional sales manager. In his new role, O’Hare will be responsible for leading the strategic and operational sales activities for EvoQuip in all markets outside of North America, as well as a range of sales supporting responsibilities, including the development and management of territory sales.

“Barry brings huge knowledge and experience in international sales, along with a great understanding of dealer development and support requirements gained through providing commercial and aftersales support to the Powerscreen global dealer network over the years,” says Matt Dickinson, the EvoQuip global product line director. “We are excited to have him as part of our team.”

Stanley completes Paladin acquisition

The Stanley Infrastructure division of Stanley Black & Decker Inc., New Britain, Connecticut, has announced the finalization of its acquisition of Paladin Attachments and Pengo Attachments. The acquisition does not include the Genesis line of attachments, as that brand will remain part of Oak Brook, Illinois-based International Equipment Solutions LLC (IES).

According to an August 2018 news release from IES, the original deal included the acquisition of Genesis and was valued at $690 million. The final transaction, as announced by Stanley Black & Decker Inc. in March, does not include the Genesis line, and no acquisition cost is mentioned.

“We are excited to join the Stanley Black & Decker organization, which shares our values of delivering industry-leading quality, innovation and customer service for our customers,” says Matt Roney, who will now serve as the chief operating officer of Stanley Infrastructure. “As part of Stanley Black & Decker, Paladin and Pengo Attachments will remain committed to their core strategic imperatives related to their people and customers.”

The Stanley Infrastructure division now includes the Paladin and Pengo brands, along with the Stanley, LaBounty and Dubuis brands in that business unit.