More than 90 of Europe’s most skilled excavator operators have showcased their skills in recent months by taking part in the inaugural LANDCROS European Operator Challenge. After the completion of nine national competitions held between April and June, Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (HCME) will host the grand final at its Amsterdam headquarters between 10-11 September.
Organised in conjunction with HCME’s authorised local dealerships, the national events put operators through a series of tasks using a variety of Hitachi mini and medium crawler excavators, and wheel loaders. These included collecting and stacking tyres, digging a trench to specification, scooping footballs from the top of a safety cone, obstacle courses, and load and carry challenges.
The competition comes ahead of Hitachi Construction Machinery’s transition to LANDCROS in April 2027. Several participants had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the new brand by picking up steel letters and placing them accurately to spell ‘LANDCROS’.
Dealer support across Europe
Three dealers – Luyckx from Belgium, Probst Maveg from Switzerland and Hitachi Construction Machinery Netherlands – held their qualifying rounds at HCME headquarters. The others hosted at their own head offices or nearby locations: Hispano Japonesa de Maquinara, Spain; Hitachi Construction Machinery UK; Hitachi Construction Machinery France; SCAI S.p.A, Italy; and Moviter, Portugal. SIA Alwark of Lithuania ran its competition during RESTA, a large exhibition for the Baltic States.
The national winners who will participate in the final include:
• Raúl González from Ponferrada in León, Spain, who works for Demoliciones Lezama
• Andrew Walker from Darlington, UK, who works for Herring Plant Hire
• Filipe Gomes Abreu from Sierre, Switzerland, who works for Polli & Cie SA
• Julien Blais, who works for BLTP based in Esson, France
• Tjerk Segers, who works for Segers Grondbewerking, Netherlands
• Daniele Brangi, from Brescia, Italy, who works for Impresa Albertani
• Guy Jacobs, who works for Jacobs Grondwerken, Belgium
• Márcio Romão from Serrinha in Palmela, Portugal, who works for Retromarques, Lda
• Sergej Fronskij, who works for UAB Litvar, Lithuania.
The winners all had positive things to say about the competition and the machines they worked with. “The challenges showed what these machines are capable of, with the right balance between power and stability,” said Portuguese winner Márcio. “Some tasks required precision, while others tested speed and power – it was great fun!”
Swiss winner Filipe commented: “Just like the bond between the characters in the Avatar movie, I felt the ‘connection’ with the Zaxis excavators and ZW wheeler loader when I was doing the challenges.”
UK representative Andrew Walker was also full of praise for the Hitachi line-up. “The smoothness of operation, as well as the design and engineering of these reliable orange machines have added to the experience – it’s been a pleasure to be in the cab,” he said.
Meanwhile Spanish victor Raúl is already looking forward to the final. “I’m delighted to have achieved this honour, and excited about the opportunity to meet my fellow operators from across Europe and represent Spain in the final in Amsterdam.”
As well as the accolade of European champion, the overall winner will receive a trip for two to Japan.
The Reliable Orange
“The LANDCROS European Operator Challenge is an opportunity to celebrate the expertise of our talented operator community and the performance of some of our most popular reliable orange machines,” says HCME Director Marketing & Brand Communication Laura Hendriks.
“With the support of our dealers, we are proud to launch the first LANDCROS event ahead of the Hitachi brand’s transition next April. We’ve enjoyed connecting with our customers and operators during this fun and engaging process, and look forward to crowning our champion for 2026.”
Content produced in association with Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV
