INNOVATION TO BUILD THE FUTURE
Having represented the Hitachi brand in Germany since 2003, Toni Kiesel shares his insights on innovation, why the Kiesel Group focuses on people and processes, and what makes Bauma so special.
As Toni Kiesel contemplates attending his 17th Bauma, he reveals a simple explanation of what makes the event in Munich so special: “My first one was when I was 13 years old, and I haven’t missed one since! What I love about Bauma is that it’s all about people – taking care of customers, showing hospitality, strengthening relationships and showing innovations for the future. There is a family feeling.”
The family feeling remains strong within the Kiesel Group. Toni’s parents, Helmut and Christa, started their own company, a service station, in Weingarten in 1958.
They passed ownership to their sons, Toni, Rainer and Jochen, in 1984. Today the family business is run by second and third generations, including Toni’s daughter, Kathrin, and additional family members are getting ready to join too. It has developed into an international group of companies, with over 45 locations throughout Germany and Europe, 1,200 employees, and a turnover of 600 million euros.
The activities of the Kiesel Group are divided into four areas – one of which is as the authorised Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) dealer for Germany, Austria and Poland.
“In our role as dealer, we focus on our slogan ‘Kiesel – Mein Systempartner’ and add value to customers,” says Toni. “Added value is everything.”
This not only comes in the form of on-site expert advice (on application, sales, or rental equipment) and comprehensive support, but also means precisely meeting the needs of customers to overcome industry challenges.
Customer-focused philosophy
To do this successfully requires a deep understanding of the business fields of customers, as well as what they want to achieve. As Toni explains: “Additionally, you must understand the owner, the purchasing department, the process on the job site, the workshop and the operator. If you don’t understand the operator, and you introduce something that does not give them an advantage or is not useful, then they won’t use it.”
In addition to maintaining a strong customer focus, Toni also highlights a strong awareness of the industry’s pain points, including a shortage of skilled workers, a decline in the number of young people entering the industry, safety on site and the health of operators.
He knows how many minutes or euros it takes to change an attachment on a German job site – for him, such details are key to developing industry-leading solutions.
Another driver for his success – and that of the Kiesel Group – is the desire to continue innovating and outperform the competition. “That was always the aim, to be at least as good as the best, and to add value to the customer,” he explains.
An evolving partnership
Having established a dealer relationship with Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV in 2003, Kiesel became the authorised distributor for the whole of Germany two years later. “We were proud to have our own stand at Bauma for the first time in 2004,” remembers Toni.
During the last 22 years, the relationship between Hitachi and Kiesel has evolved, based on the strong foundation of a premium brand. The two companies remain committed to building further on their success. For example, Hitachi continues to play a vital role at Coreum, a unique facility in central Germany, which was established by the Kiesel Group in 2018 for the construction industry to show innovation.
And the introduction of the Kenki Technology Group (KTEG) – a joint venture between Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd and Kiesel Technologie Entwicklung GmbH to develop zeroemission construction equipment and technology for the European market – was announced in 2022, further cementing their cooperation.
Hitachi, KTEG and Kiesel will remain side by side at Bauma this year – symbolising the strength of their partnership, and an ongoing commitment to exceed the expectation of customers and deliver cutting-edge solutions. And the machines on display are evidence of this: “At Bauma 2025, one of the innovations we will proudly present is the KTEG 360° suction/vacuum box for mini and compact excavators to change into the smallest suction excavator in the world,” says Toni.