Akkodis & LANDCROS: Integrated Engineering Support

From mechanical engineering to integrated support: how Akkodis is growing with LANDCROS

LANDCROS marks Hitachi Construction Machinery’s move towards a more open, solutions-driven model. As that ambition grows, so does the engineering partnership with Akkodis.

Construction machinery is changing fast. Customers increasingly expect machines to do more than perform reliably. They want equipment adapted to specific applications, connected to digital systems and equipped with technology that improves productivity and ease of use. 

For Hitachi Construction Machinery Europe (HCME), currently transitioning to the LANDCROS brand, that means moving beyond a traditional product model towards a broader solutions approach.

LANDCROS reflects that shift. Its ambition is to bring together machines, technology and expertise in a more open ecosystem, with customer needs as the starting point.

That evolution is also changing the way Akkodis supports HCME. 

Beyond machinery

At the heart of LANDCROS’ European approach is the European Customisation Centre (ECC) in Amsterdam. 

The ECC develops and integrates customer-specific solutions for the European market, including smart machinery attachments, ICT and other advanced technologies. Its role is to help adapt machines to the needs of different applications and markets, while reducing the time needed to bring those solutions to customers. 

That is becoming increasingly important as European operators work with more advanced fleets and expect faster innovation from equipment manufacturers.

Instead of relying on a single global machine specification, HCME wants to be able to respond more quickly to local requirements and integrate new technology as needs evolve.

Engineering that grows with the ambition

Akkodis has supported HCME through an on-site engineering collaboration in the Netherlands, initially with a strong focus on mechanical engineering.

As HCME’s needs have expanded, the partnership has evolved with them.

Akkodis is now building on that collaboration with a dedicated engineering centre in the Czech Republic. The teams work together as one integrated engineering organisation, combining close knowledge of HCME’s products and requirements with broader engineering expertise across Akkodis.

The scope is also expanding beyond mechanical engineering to include software, systems and electrical engineering.

This broader setup is designed to support the increasing complexity of the solutions LANDCROS wants to bring to market. As machines integrate more technologies, the engineering disciplines behind them need to work together more closely as well. 

A partnership built to evolve

The new delivery model was developed jointly by HCME and Akkodis.

Teams from both organisations worked together to define the approach, including collaboration between the Dutch and Czech Akkodis teams and visits to Akkodis facilities in the Czech Republic.

That co-creation is important. The objective is not simply to add engineering capacity, but to build a support model that can evolve alongside HCME’s products, technologies and priorities. 

The collaboration reflects that longer-term outlook. What started as an initial three-year project scope is now extending into a five-year programme.

For Akkodis, this is an example of how an engineering partnership can grow over time. A collaboration may start around one discipline or a specific need, but as the client’s engineering challenges become broader, the support model can expand with them.

Bringing solutions to market faster

Ultimately, the value of the partnership lies in what it enables LANDCROS to deliver. 

By combining local product knowledge with a broader range of engineering disciplines and expertise, HCME can respond more quickly to changing customer requirements and accelerate the development of tailored, ready-to-work solutions.

For Akkodis, the collaboration also illustrates a broader principle: effective engineering support is not only about providing expertise. It is about organising that expertise around the client, connecting disciplines and creating a model that can adapt as needs change.

That is how Akkodis aims to support LANDCROS as it moves further beyond machinery and towards integrated solutions.