New president and CEO for HCME
Long-serving Makoto Yamazawa takes the helm at Hitachi Construction Machinery Europe
HITACHI Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (HCME) have announced the appointment of Makoto Yamazawa as their new president and chief executive officer, effective 1 April 2016. He is also the new regional chief executive officer of Hitachi Construction Machinery for Europe, the Middle East, and North, West and Central Africa.
Mr Yamazawa joined Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd (HCM) in 1983 as a sales representative for the company’s domestic business. After eight years he was transferred to HCM’s International Division for 10 months before a subsequent transfer to the company’s subsidiary in Thailand.
Mr Yamazawa (pictured) held the positions of marketing and sales manager in Bangkok from 1992 until 1998, and managing director of HCM’s Malaysian subsidiary from 2005 to 2010. In between these assignments, he took up various managerial roles at the Tokyo head office within the Asia and Oceania, Mining and Construction departments.
‘I’ve known some of the HCME dealers since the Hitachi factory opened in Amsterdam more than 13 years ago,’ explained Mr Yamazawa. ‘Since then, Europe has become the most stable and important market for HCM – and so this is a very exciting assignment for me.
‘HCME’s customers operate everything from compaction equipment to mining equipment and therefore this is a very similar operation – albeit on a smaller scale – to HCM. With this in mind, the experience that I have gained at our headquarters, in our territories and with our leading product categories will help me to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
‘My first goal is to reinforce the enviable reputation forged by my predecessors at HCME, which was, in fact, established as HCM’s first overseas operation more than 40 years ago. Then, as part of the formidable team at Hitachi and the HCME dealer network, I will strive to build on the foundations required for the company to become the number one OEM over the next decade.’
To achieve these aims, Mr Yamazawa has a clear approach: ‘My intention is to get even closer to our customers in the spirit of our competitive proposition,’ he said. ‘We will continue to differentiate our product and service offerings as a reliable partner and provider of solutions. This will help us to maintain our strength and profitability, despite the unpredictable nature of the global marketplace.’
