Careers

Working at HCME

What makes a career with HCME so rewarding?

We have earned an excellent reputation for performance, reliability and safety around the world. However, we believe that people are the source of our strength. The success of our company relies upon the
enthusiasm, expertise, professionalism, creativity and challenging spirit of every individual.

As part of the international Hitachi family, you will work in a dynamic environment with other motivated, dedicated and talented colleagues. Employees are one of the most valuable assets of our organisation and we recognise that having inspired, committed staff leads to greater success.

We offer you a challenging, rewarding career, as well as the ability to maintain and enhance your professional and managerial skills where appropriate. Working with colleagues of all ages, social backgrounds and nationalities, you’ll also get the chance to develop your skills at an international level and experience other cultures at first hand.

Rewards & benefits

Wouldn’t you like to be at a company that rewards your hard work and loyalty?

Your development

Why not join a company as committed to your career as you are?

Job search & apply

How can I apply for a position with HCME?

Kenkijin Spirit

The Kenkijin Spirit is at the heart of everything we do at HCME. Taken from the Japanese name of HCM, ‘Kenkijin’ roughly translates as ‘citizen of HCM’. The Kenkijin Spirit embodies our shared values and principles, and there are three ideas that underpin it:

Challenge – we take on challenges without fear of failure
Customer – we strive to understand our customers’ needs better than they do
Communication – we take the initiative on reporting, liaising and consulting.

These simple ideas encourage everyone at HCME and help us to apply the spirit in more specific ways.

Meet our people

Rik Hierck

“Working at HCME gives you an opportunity to work in an international environment and visit other countries.”

With a team of different nationalities I develop, support and provide training for after-sales tools used by our European dealers and customers. By using these tools, they can reduce the total cost of ownership of Hitachi equipment. It keeps our customers satisfied, which is really motivating. I am responsible for different dealers in Europe and am in constant contact with them. Each company has its own set of values and requirements and it’s my job to understand them. That makes my role extremely diverse. One of the best aspects of working for HCME is the diversity of the people and their different nationalities and cultures. The international environment is challenging and working with the European dealers makes my job very interesting. Travelling throughout Europe and visiting our dealers is part of my job and makes it fun to work for HCME. It helps me understand the different cultures and it’s a lot of fun as well. You can learn a lot and develop yourself while working at HCME.

Arnold van Benthem

“I bring people of all ages, qualifications and backgrounds together to work towards the same goals.”

Most of the time, I am in direct contact with suppliers, and am building up a strategy to allow our Procurement department to be independent and less reliant on the HCM factory in Japan. In addition, I have to translate our global principles to our local department: act global, think local. Although our department is still relatively new, we are taking steps towards improved efficiency. I enjoy thinking in an out-of-the-box way, and taking responsibility for initiatives every day. HCME offered me a job after I’d completed a challenging graduation internship as an industrial management student. My first assignment was a two-year technical traineeship at HCM’s ‘mother factory’ in Japan, Tsuchiura Works – the largest facility of its kind in the world. Returning as a Production Engineer gave me the opportunity to fully learn about all production processes within the factory and also the chance to become the Assistant Manager of this team. My manager gave me carte blanche to build the team, and they are structured, motivated and energetic. Within HCME you’ll find people of all ages and qualifications, and with different backgrounds. My job is to bring all these people together to work towards the same goals. HCME has almost every type of department that a company can have, which gives you the chance to learn a great deal. HCME gives me the opportunity to not only specialise in certain processes, but also broaden my view on business at the same time.

Casper van Unen

“Whenever I see an excavator in operation, I wonder whether I contributed to its manufacture.”

My job involves welding, repairing parts, and correcting small faults. Usually, I weld the truck frames, but I can weld almost any section we prepare in our factory. I was once asked to weld the prototypes for a new model and everyone (even outside of HCME) was able to see my work. Working here is really fun. There is always a terrific atmosphere in the factory, because everyone is very sociable. I also enjoy a certain degree of independence – nobody checks up on me during the day to see if my work has been finished. I have a daily target and know how many pieces must be welded at the end of the shift. I really appreciate this, because I feel relaxed while I work. The Japanese have fantastic ideas about organising the factories. We are currently improving our efficiency through the Monozukuri project. I believe this system will help to create a more organised factory. The diversity of nationalities is also a nice aspect of working at HCME. Although we are one team, we get to learn about other languages, countries and cultures.

Nick van Dusschoten

“We are a diverse team – I work with so many different people of all ages. We learn from each other.”

I solve the problems of our colleagues in the factory. These might be small problems requiring minor changes or improvements, or a contribution towards larger projects regarding safety, efficiency and ergonomics. I really like having the opportunity to visit the factory regularly – my job is a combination of factory and office work. I am running an assembly project that involves new methods of production. As part of this project, I visited our factory in Japan to find out more about how they are managing that process. The working style in Japan is very structured, and so is HCME’s as a result. It’s a very efficient style, and one that we should adopt more in The Netherlands in general. Our organisation is starting to become ONE HCME. Since I started as an intern in October 2014, we are now working closer together in order to reach our goals as one team. Several improvements and changes have helped to create this new culture.

Sjors van Vugt

“Learning about different cultures challenges me every day.”

I deal with parts-related queries and supply sales information to our dealers in Scandinavia, England and the Baltics. I also analyse their data to help them increase sales. I introduced the light compaction equipment range to our dealers, which has been one of my biggest achievements at HCME so far. In my role, I am free to take the initiative and do things my way. I am able to make a valuable contribution towards projects such as this. I enjoy the challenge of working with people from different cultures – in Japan and Europe. The Japanese element of HCME expresses itself in a variety of norms and values. It is fascinating that our cultures are so different but also work so well together. A high level of cooperation can sometimes be difficult to achieve, but is always satisfying. Everyone at HCME is very dedicated. We work hard and are willing to do everything required for the company. The quality of the products is a result of our dedication.

RENS HUIJBREGTS

“Two different cultures come together at HCME.”

I am an intern studying project management, namely how to introduce it and make it successful. I research both the current and desired situation. In addition, I am studying the theoretical and practical aspects in creating a successful approach to project management.

Our department is indirectly responsible for excavator production. We implement improvements in the production processes to ensure our products are of the highest quality. There is a great atmosphere in our team and a no-nonsense mentality. My colleagues are very helpful and cooperative. I also enjoy working on such a great product.

HCME may be a giant international company, but I experience it as a small and cosy local organisation. I like that it is international and informal. The Japanese culture is very different to ours, which creates an international flavour in our daily work.

Ideally, I would like to stay with Hitachi after my internship has finished. If not, it has still been a great opportunity to experience working at such a big company.

About HCME

HCME is responsible for the manufacture, sales and marketing of Hitachi construction equipment throughout Europe and parts of Africa. The company employs more than 600 people.