Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas held a ceremony to open its new state-of-the-art headquarters in Newnan, Georgia, for the development and production of new machinery and to elevate customer support.
The company entered the North American market more than 40 years ago, opening an office in Marietta, Georgia, in 1981. Since then, it has continued to expand sites within the state.
Spanning 19 acres, the Newman site was originally established as a wheel loader assembly and manufacturing plant in 1987 and has served as company headquarters since 2018.
According to, Al Quinn, CEO of Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas, changes at the facility represent and reinforce the company’s commitment to people, excellence, and the environment. He said the new regional headquarters will help the company focus on key growth areas including the compact and construction business network in North, Central, and South America and expansion in sales of mining excavators for construction and quarry and mining sites.
“By combining the resources of the excavator, loader, and mining businesses, the company has experienced a tenfold demand from previous years,” Quinn said.
Since taking the lead for the brand’s construction and mining equipment in the Americas, the company has more than tripled its employee count.
Encompassing 88,128 square feet of office space and 27,686 square feet dedicated to conference, ConSite command center, and training space, the headquarters has been designed to enhance creativity and inspire future growth.
“The investment in a regional Americas facility helps strengthen that direct connection to the customer,” he said, noting that Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas continues to support an extensive network of independent local dealers and rental companies.
In addition to the new headquarters facility, Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas is also creating operating bases for parts remanufacturing and expansion of the rental business that will provide customers with additional support and options.
Development of the new facility comes only a couple of years after the dissolution of a 33-year marketing and manufacturing agreement with John Deere. The companies jointly produced excavators for North and South America at plants in North Carolina, Canada, and Brazil.
In February 2022, the agreement was officially dissolved and Deere purchased the plants to produce its brand of excavators. Hitachi and Deere have a new supply agreement for Deere excavators. Deere also announced a new agreement for compact excavators with Wacker Neuson.
In May 2022, at the Newman facility, Hitachi rolled out its first set of independently produced excavators for North America, which were made in Japan and imported here.
Reflecting core values
The design of the Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas headquarters is meant to reflect the core values of the company.
Designed with energy efficiency in mind, the facility features Low-E glass that blocks 62% of solar energy while allowing 70% of visible light to pass through. Skylights and roll-up doors contribute to natural lighting, integrating the indoors with the outdoors.
Also, the company says an advanced energy management system monitors and optimizes energy consumption and temperature changes.
“In March 2022, we set out on a path to establish a more direct connection with customers,” said “Our culture has been very much involved with listening, understanding, and implementing customer feedback.”
Embracing sustainable practices, Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas opted for adaptive reuse principles in the development of the existing property.
“Establishing a direct connection with customers means listening and aligning with their needs and values,” said Quinn. “The industry has actively embraced a move toward sustainable practices, and this thoughtful consideration is reflected in the design of the new headquarters.”
More than 75,347 square feet of greenspace was reclaimed from the site by reconfiguring the employee parking areas and eliminating buildings and concrete.
Sustainable practices utilized in the construction of the headquarters included the recycling of concrete, steel, and wood already on the site.
Reclaimed materials included 5,101 cubic yards of recycled concrete that was repurposed for roadway, fill, and redistribution; 40,580 square feet of recycled exterior metal wall panels, and 125 tons of reused steel frame structure.
In addition, the company said 69,965 square feet of existing concrete slabs were reused, 4,920 square feet of roof purlins, and 48,976 square feet of old metal roof panels became decking for the new roof.
Reclaimed pine wood totaling approximately 1,545 linear feet, was utilized on stairways and stair seating areas, and recycled plastics were used to manufacture all carpet products.
