Hitachi, Ltd. (株式会社日立製作所) is a Japanese multinational conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable energy, railway systems, healthcare products, and financial systems.[4] The company was founded as an electrical machinery manufacturing subsidiary of the Kuhara Mining Plant in Hitachi, Ibaraki, by engineer Namihei Odaira in 1910. It began operating as an independent company under its current name in 1920.[5]
Hitachi is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and is a key component of the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX Core30 indices. As of June 2024, it has a market capitalisation of 16.9 trillion yen, making it the fourth largest Japanese company by market value.[6] In terms of global recognition, Hitachi was ranked 38th in the 2012 Fortune Global 500 and 129th in the 2012 Forbes Global 2000.[7] Hitachi is a highly globalised conglomerate. In the fiscal year 2023, it generated approximately 61% of its total revenue of 9.7 trillion yen from international markets. The major contributors to this global revenue were Asia, Europe, and North America, with each region accounting for 22%, 16%, and 16% of the total revenue, respectively.[8][9]
Overview
Historically a large conglomerate active in various fields, including electric generators, consumer electronics, trains, semiconductors, computers, and nuclear reactors, Hitachi recorded a record loss of 787.3 billion yen in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The company sold numerous unprofitable operations and ventured into new areas such as digital systems and renewable energy. As a result of these moves, Hitachi returned to profitability by March 2011.[10]
Today, Hitachi's corporate activities are organised into three large sections: Digital Systems and Services, Green Energy and Mobility, and Connective Industries.[11]
All 12 CEOs the company has had, including founder Odaira, have had engineering backgrounds, with eight of them, including Odaira, being alumni of the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Engineering.[12]
Logos and symbols
History
Founding (1910–1945)
Founded in 1910 in Ibaraki Prefecture by electrical engineer Namihei Odaira, Hitachi's first product was a 4-kilowatt induction motor, designed for copper mining.[18][19][20] Originally an in-house venture of Fusanosuke Kuhara's mining company, Hitachi became independent in 1911 and moved its headquarters to Tokyo in 1918. The company's name 'Hitachi', combining the kanji for 'sun' (日, hi) and 'rise' (立, tachi), was coined by Odaira.[21] While industrial machinery in Japan was usually powered by steam at the time, Odaira built water power stations in the mine and electrified almost all facilities in the factory. The company developed various electrical equipment later in its history. In 1924, Hitachi completed Japan's first mainline electric locomotive (JNR Class ED15). In 1932, the company started manufacturing elevators and electric refrigerators.[22]
Businesses
Hitachi's corporate activities are organised into three large sections: Digital Systems and Services, Green Energy and Mobility, and Connective Industries.
Digital Systems & Services
The Digital Systems and Services segment features Lumada, through which the company provides digital solutions to improve business processes and operational efficiency. This segment accounted for 21.9 percent of the total revenue in FY2022.[89]
- Internet of Things
- Hitachi Lumada[90]
- Data storage and analytics[91]
See also
- ATM Industry Association (ATMIA)
External links
References
- Hitachi Financial Statements Hitachi, retrieved 2023-02-09^
- Super Technical Server HITACHI SR24000 www.hitachi.co.jp, retrieved 2020-04-09^
- SR24000：技術計算向けサーバ：日立 www.hitachi.co.jp, retrieved 2020-04-09^