In January 2025, Hitachi Building Equipment (set to turn out to be LANDCROS in April 2027) introduced that it was establishing Hitachi Building Equipment Latin America SpA as of April 1, 2025, to supervise present and increase its enterprise in Latin America – with a headquarters in Santiago, Chile. The transfer was a part of a laser focus to extend mining gear gross sales within the area – which had beforehand been dealt with by Hitachi Building Equipment Americas in Newman, Georgia and earlier than that by a three way partnership with Deere & Firm that was dissolved in 2022.
The corporate’s ambitions and roadmap in Latin America had been outlined in an article revealed by HCM in June 2026 based mostly on a dialogue with Tetsuya Kitagawa, President and CEO of Hitachi Building Equipment Latin America. He acknowledged: “Our strategic course is to function as an answer supplier, with the intention of changing into the most effective companion for our clients. On the identical time, we’re working to foster a company tradition that locations a robust emphasis on security and compliance. Constructing on a strong working platform and a robust company tradition, we’re focusing on the achievement of ¥150 billion in income in fiscal 2030, as set out in our Medium-term Administration Plan.”
He added: “There are a number of causes for finding our headquarters in Chile. From the views of enterprise practices and tax techniques, it presents a beneficial setting for operations, and additionally it is considered a secure and safe location. As well as, Chile has a well-established base {of professional} training in each mining and building, offering entry to a deep pool of extremely expert, instantly deployable expertise. Moreover, many shoppers’ regional headquarters for Latin America are positioned in Chile, and demand is robust for dump vans, that are central to our growth efforts.”
He mentioned that in Latin America, HCM is inserting a selected emphasis on the Mining enterprise. “To make sure disciplined execution, we now have, because the firm’s institution, carried out direct visits and interviews with 40 mining clients to know their wants first hand. Clients have welcomed our entry into the Latin American market, noting that it has created a brand new selection for them. Amongst our merchandise, hydraulic excavators designed for top‑altitude operation have been particularly properly acquired, giving us confidence to make use of them as a cornerstone of our market growth efforts. On the identical time, dump vans current a more difficult aggressive panorama, the place product differentiation will not be at all times easy. To realize a big improve in unit gross sales, will probably be important to strengthen service capabilities, together with elements provide.”
Essentially, the actual fact is that in massive inflexible vans – Caterpillar and Komatsu nonetheless dominate the market in South America – so for strategic and aggressive causes it’s constructive for main mine proprietor operators and contractors there to have extra choices – and that features Hitachi and Liebherr but additionally Chinese language OEMs like XCMG and SANY. Broad physique vans are additionally beginning to make an influence, each typical diesel in addition to battery electrical and hybrid by way of producers like Tonly and LGMG.
In fiscal 2026, HCM says its major focus might be on rising gross sales of base machines, whereas on the identical time laying the groundwork for future development within the elements and repair enterprise. Particularly, it’ll put together elements warehouses and coaching and demonstration centres scheduled to open from fiscal 2027 onward, and set up bases for supplying remanufactured elements, primarily in Argentina and Chile.
“By means of these initiatives, we’ll strengthen elements provide and assist techniques for our clients. Along with our merchandise, we’ll take a complete options method by leveraging the services and products of our group firms – Bradken, H‑E Elements, and Wenco – working collectively to enhance buyer productiveness and security whereas lowering environmental influence. When it comes to market share targets, we intention to extend our share of mining excavators from 26% in 2024 to 30% by 2028, and our share of dump vans from 4% to 18%.”
Kitagawa added: “Though we’re a late entrant within the Latin American market, our core power lies within the high quality of our merchandise. Not too long ago, reflecting sturdy buyer evaluations, we now have secured a sequence of huge mining gear orders in Peru and Chile – markets the place order volumes had beforehand been restricted. To maintain and construct on this power, we intend to repeatedly reinforce our price chain enterprise. We recognise that there are areas we can not tackle on our personal, and we’ll subsequently actively promote partnerships with exterior stakeholders. By listening rigorously to the voices of our clients and working as an answer supplier that places the LANDCROS philosophy into apply, we intention to attain vital development within the Latin American enterprise.”
Within the wider area, ZAMine Brasil, a three way partnership with Marubeni, started operations in March 2025 and the identical 12 months noticed deployment of EH4000AC-3 mining vans and an EX2600-7 mining excavator at Anglo American’s Minas Rio iron ore mining operation within the state of Minas Gerais with R&D Mineração & Construção Ltda.
In Peru, Hitachi already had a significant foothold with its massive mining excavators at operations like Yanacocha, Mina Justa and Antamina – and is quickly to fee its first ever EX8000 fashions in Latin America with two models at a Peruvian copper mine. There’s additionally a whole lot of potential for its mining vans in Peru as properly.
Elsewhere a gross sales and repair location in Argentina opened in April 2026 and one is because of open in Mexico in FY2026. Lastly, a brand new elements warehouse that may assist the Latin America enterprise will open in Miami in April 2027.
HCM investments in Chile proceed – a brand new coaching and demo centre is about to open in Santiago; and a brand new rebuilds and refurb location in Antofagasta – each in FY2027 (ie by finish March 2028). There was some progress in 2024, when Thiess was awarded a mining contract at Antofagasta Minerals’ Centinela copper mine – particularly on the Esperanza Sur pit. Thiess entered a mining gear lease settlement with Hitachi supplier ZAMine Service Chile masking the availability of 5 EH4000AC-3 vans and one EX5600-7 hydraulic excavator, that are nonetheless in operation at present.
HCM has now additionally added a second buyer in Chile – Capstone Copper – which is within the strategy of deploying a fleet on the Mantoverde copper-gold mine consisting of 1 EX5600-7 hydraulic excavator and 6 EH4000AC-3 vans. Capstone Copper acquired the fleet straight from HCM, with ZAMine Service Chile to supply service and elements.
Mantoverde is an open-pit copper-gold mine positioned within the Atacama area of Chile in shut proximity to the Santo Domingo undertaking and the Sierra Norte deposit. It’s 70% owned by Capstone and 30% owned by Mitsubishi Supplies Company. In 2024, the operation added a 32,000 t/d excessive grade sulphide processing line by the Mantoverde Growth Undertaking (MVDP). The location is now increasing by way of the Mantoverde Optimised Undertaking (MV-O) which is at present underneath building and is slated for completion in Q3 2026, with expanded sulphide throughput ramping as much as 45,000 t/d by early 2027.
Hitachi has some benefits in its breadth of providing. It’s selling the event of autonomous operations, distant and semi-automated options that utilise sensing expertise, and Autonomous Haulage Programs (AHS) for mining use. This contains its personal properly confirmed AHS providing plus it has simply introduced a worldwide strategic partnership with OEM-agnostic autonomy main Pronto aimed toward additional advancing open mine automation options.
electrification, HCM continues increase our its line-up of electrical mining equipment and, for totally electrical and hybrid dump vans, is trying to speed up demonstrations and increase gross sales. Its full line-up of excavators as much as the EX8000 is already accessible with cable-electric energy. For vans there may be additionally a whole lot of trolley potential in Latin America – indicated by the trolley initiatives at Collahuasi and Los Pelambres – so HCM’s intensive expertise with the EH4000 Battery truck that’s efficiently working underneath trolley in Zambia will show precious. A hybrid EH4000 undertaking is underway and set to start testing at Exxaro Grootegeluk in South Africa in 2027.
