Two decades of partnership with Prowimat
French dealer Prowimat celebrates 20 years as partner of Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV this year. Prowimat was founded in Saint Martin de Crau by Pascal Widmer and Jean-Marc Probst, starting in construction equipment sales and becoming a HCME dealer in 2003.
While its headquarters remain in Saint Martin de Crau, the company has grown substantially during the last two decades. In 2019, Prowimat’s territory was extended by HCME when it became one of four dealers in France at that time. In 2020, Prowimat joined AS2PIQ, a large regional group with eight locations. This enabled it to be closer to customers throughout the PACA (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) region as well as in Corsica.
Today, Prowimat has a team of 22 employees, and offers sales of new and used equipment, after-sales services (including maintenance, repair and spare parts), and customised solutions to customers active in the quarrying, earthmoving, road construction, utilities and demolition markets. The company also plans to significantly expand its rental fleet by the end of this year, with the addition of mini excavators, and ZX85US-6, ZX135US-7, ZX225US-7 and ZX135W-7 models.
“Prowimat is proud to represent Hitachi, a leading manufacturer of public works equipment and the undisputed leader in terms of reliability and performance,” says General Manager Pascal Widmer.
As a key player in the HCME French dealer network, Prowimat will be participating in Intermat, which takes place in Paris in April 2024. The theme for the event is decarbonisation, with a focus on innovation, energy, new equations and CSR commitments. “We are looking forward to working with HCMF to build a strong brand presence for Hitachi and to meeting with our customers at next year’s event.”
Commenting on the company’s 20th anniversary this year, HCME President Takaharu Ikeda says: “We thank the team at Prowimat for their continued support of the Hitachi brand over the last two decades. It has been a pleasure working with them, and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership in the coming years.”
“We thank the team at Prowimat for their continued support of the Hitachi brand over the last two decades,” says HCME President Takaharu Ikeda.
An example of the excellent service provided by Prowimat is the ZX350LC-7 medium excavator, which was customised by the dealer before delivery to specialist quarring company, CBA. A subsidiary of Eurovia and the VINCI Group, CBA is responsible for the extraction of one million tonnes of aggregates per year.
It needed a replacement for a ZX350LCN-5 at a site in Hautes-Alpes to assist with loading dump trucks and breaking rocks with a hydraulic rock breaker attachment. Due to the demanding nature of this work, CBA decided to invest in a Zaxis-7 model.
Prowimat’s talented team ensured the new excavator was quarry ready. To further enhance durability, safety and comfort, it was equipped with bucket cylinder protection, a travel alarm, auto lubrication system, cab air compressor, fire extinguisher, three track guards, and 600mm double grouser shoes.
Additionally, the cab’s front and top guards were specially reinforced. The machine sale also included an extended warranty and maintenance contract. The team at CBA was extremely pleased with its purchase, the customisation provided by Prowimat, and the performance of the -7 model.
