Housing in Southern Africa July 2016

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July 2016
Building Supplies & Equipment
European based company,
Hidromek, aims to build on
Mitubishi’s successful design
and construction of the rugged ma-
chines. While processes and proce-
dures at the factory have remained
largely unchanged, the factory is
Africa’s best known grader
Mitsubishi has been acquired by new stakeholders with
ambitious plans for the future. Under the new banner of
Hidromek, the stalwart machines, renowned for reliability in
tough conditions, will be further enhanced.
evolving and adding features that
build on the original design and offer
extra value for fleet owners.
The rugged simplicity and raw
power of the machines has made
them legendary and led to the ma-
chines gaining a strong following
from users who require machines
that can work reliably for extended
periods in rough terrain with mini-
mal support. Where lesser machines
have battled and broken, the big
Mitsubishi/Hidromekmachines have
excelled and soldiered on in the face
of adverse conditions.
Peter Kaliszka of ELB Equipment,
the long-standing distributor of Mit-
subishi/Hidromek graders in south-
ern Africa, says for decadesMitsubishi
graders have made their mark in
Africa. The graders have been used
to prepare some of themost desolate
and remote roads on the continent.
Out in the bush they performwithout
hassles and with very little require-
ment for maintenance.
This has earned them a reputa-
tion for toughness and reliability
that is unsurpassed in the industry
and is a driving force behind ever
rising sales amid fierce competition.
Their popularity is due in part to the
sheer simplicity of the machines
which lack the fancy electronics and
potentially troublesome gadgetry
that has become commonplace on
other leading brands. The graders
have been cleverly designed to be
near indestructible, using the best
Japanese materials and designs to
develop a machine with the least
possible chance of failure. Likewise,
instead of searching for efficiency
through smaller high-tech engines,
the Mitsubishi/Hidromek is equipped
with a bigger engine that is hardly
taxed when grading at low revs.
“The end result of this is a grader
that is more economical than small
engine competitors in hard working
environments. Similarly, the engine
is not strained and as a result is more
reliable with less chance of break-
downs. That is why in over 25 years
since the first machines went into
operation in southern Africa, we have
only ever replaced two engines (one
as a result of drowning in a flooded
river, the other as a result of misuse),”
says Kaliszka.
Contractors responsible for road
construction and maintenance also
rely on the Mitsubishi/Hidromek for
their low running costs and con-
tinuous availability. Fuel savings also
play a major role with contractors
who operate mixed fleets reporting
fuel savings.
Contractors also prefer the sim-
plicity of the machines with fewer
things to go wrong and no need for
out-of-town technicians in the event
of a fault. This applies to all models
from the Hidromek MG 460 18 ton
to the Hidromek MG 431 16-ton and
Hidromek MG 330 14-ton machines
depending on the size of the roads
required in particular areas. Fuel sav-
ings also help to keep the machines
out in the field for longer where the
size of the diesel bowser may decide
how far the grader may venture into
the bush to clear roads.
With the overall responsibility for
grader sales across the entire sub-
region, Kaliszka says in South Africa,
where the Hidromek grader brand is a
trusted partner for road construction
companies, the brand is continuing to
grow in leaps and bounds.
“In future, fleet owners who have
become loyal to the brand will have
more choices as newer and more
sophisticatedmachines get added to
the line-up to fill niches in urban and
specialist applications.”
For further information contact
ELB Equipment on 011 306 0722 or
visit ■