Hitachi Construction Machinery Middle East (HMEC) has appointed Arabian Truck and Equipment Company (ATEC) as its exclusive distributor in Saudi Arabia for the full Hitachi product range.
A joint statement from HMEC and ATEC, which is part of the Saudi business powerhouse ZMS Group, said that the two entities have signed an “Exclusive Distributor Agreement covering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the full Hitachi product line, including mining equipment and services”.
Under the agreement, which came into effect on January 1st this year, ATEC now offers a nationwide coverage of sales, service and parts centres for Hitachi in Saudi Arabia, starting their Hitachi Construction Machinery operation with branches in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.
The agreement was assigned by Ziad Sudairi, president, ZMS Group, and Toshitaka Uchida, president, HMEC. Also present were Mike Fritz, SVP, ZMS Group and Ahmed Refaat, GM, ATEC, on behalf of the ZMS Group and ATEC, along with Piet van Bakergem, GM, Marketing, and Tumiya Inoue, manager, Sales from HMEC. Taka Aoyagi from VMEC and Koichi Mori, GM, Itouchu Middle East were there too on the occasion.
The partnership cements a relationship between the two entities that began on January 28th, 2019, when HMEC and ATEC signed a distributor agreement for the HSC Cranes part of HMEC’s business, covering the HSC heavy lifting crawler cranes in Saudi Arabia.
“With our unparalleled distribution, service and parts network throughout the Kingdom, ATEC will be able to provide the back-up Hitachi customers demand and deserve,” said Mike Fritz, SVP, ZMS Group.
A big focus for the ATEC-HMEC combination will be on the mining segment, which is a fast-growing area in the Kingdom under the Saudi Vision 2030 plan. HMEC’s Piet van Bakergem said: “Our heavy loading shovels and large excavators along with our rigid dump trucks and wheeled loader range, make up some of the best, tried, tested and proven equipment ensembles for the mining segment. We are confident that Hitachi machines, along with ATEC’s backing, will prove invaluable in the rapidly expanding Saudi mining sector.”