Rikard launched Hekab in 2021 after 15 years employed as an excavator operator. His company, which is based in Luleå and operates along the Norrland coast, has quickly taken off. Rikard, who was consistently encouraged to start his own business by people close to him and by his customers, finally took the plunge and threw himself into the life of an entrepreneur.

“It’s felt perfect for me. When you decide to invest in your own company, you want to have a secure partner. I chose Rototilt’s RC5 tiltrotator following very positive contacts with Sebastian Engström (Key Account Manager for northern Sweden), who Nevo Maskin paired me up with. He was attentive to my needs and was able to put forward an excellent overall solution alongside Nevo Maskin,” says Rikard.

He appreciates the level of personal contact and the follow-up that Rototilt has provided.

“Even though I’m a small business owner, I felt seen. I find this kind of dedication to be invaluable for small businesses that are trying to establish themselves on the market.

Rikard and his employee both drive Hidromek excavators, a 24-tonner from 2022 and a 17-tonner from 2023. Rikard has equipped the smaller one with Rototilt Control and QuickChange.

“With Rototilt Control, I get the latest package with new joysticks and the app, which makes everything smooth and effortless,” says Rikard.

The new joysticks have significantly improved ergonomics, he considers. Previously, when operating with a different brand, it was not uncommon for him to experience pain in his wrists and forearms after long shifts.

“I never have that any more!”

The aim in future is for all the equipment to be of the same brand and to have a control system that works seamlessly.

“When you’ve been operating diggers all these years, you notice that everyone works differently, we tilt and scroll differently, which causes problems when you switch from one machine to another. But with the new menus, it’s just a push of a button, and everything’s done.

Rikard praises the Quick Change system as an important time-saver.

“Last winter I didn’t have access to the quick coupler, which meant I spent a lot of time disconnecting the tiltrotator, and going out in freezing temperatures the whole time is not much fun. Now I just have to press a button, which saves a huge amount of time and irritation. Being able to change tools quickly without having to leave the cab has really improved my efficiency,” he says.

Rototilt’s universal bucket has also become a favourite.

“I wanted a wide, deep bucket, and Rototilt has really delivered. I’m working on an excavation job at the moment, excavating a road, and it’s possible to overfill the bucket without it overflowing. I’m also keen to get the grading beam, but you have to invest little by little, even though you really want to buy everything right away,” he says and laughs.

Through his company, Rikard has become something of an influencer in excavator circles, where his Instagram posts under the user hekab.nu have quickly grown in popularity to more than 5,000 followers.

“It has also provided me with work, which I wasn’t expecting beforehand. A lot of people recognise me when I’m at work. It’s a way of demonstrating what we do and creating something fun out of it. For example, I do a lot of building foundations and construction jobs. In such cases, I want to show everything that goes into two weeks of work, which is probably one of the reasons why I started filming and editing together the material,” he says.

With his growing visibility and the support he gets from Rototilt, Rikard feels confident in developing his company further.

“I can now focus on expanding my business and exploring new business opportunities. I’m looking forward to taking the company to the next level and daring to go for larger and more challenging projects. To do that, you need products that deliver,” concludes Rikard.