Hitachi

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For other uses, see Hitachi (disambiguation).
Hitachi, Ltd.
Type
Public kabushiki gaisha ("stock company")
Traded as TYO: 6501
Industry Conglomerate
Founded 1910 (1910) in Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan
Founder(s) Namihei Odaira
Headquarters Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
Area served Worldwide
Key people
Products
Services
  • Consulting
  • Financial services
Revenue 2012: Increase ¥9.665 trillion[1]
Operating income 2012: Increase ¥412.28 billion[1]
Profit 2012: Increase ¥347.17 billion[1]
Total assets 2012: Increase ¥9.418 trillion[1]
Total equity 2012: Increase ¥1.771 trillion[1]
Employees 2012: 323,540[2]
Website www.hitachi.com

Hitachi, Ltd. (株式会社日立製作所 Kabushiki-gaisha Hitachi Seisakusho) (Japanese pronunciation: [çiꜜtatɕi]) is a Japanese multinational engineering and electronics conglomerate company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent of the Hitachi Group (Hitachi Gurūpu) and forms part of the DKB Group of companies. Hitachi is a highly diversified company that operates eleven business segments: Information & Telecommunication Systems, Social Infrastructure, High Functional Materials & Components, Financial Services, Power Systems, Electronic Systems & Equipment, Automotive Systems, Railway & Urban Systems, Digital Media & Consumer Products, Construction Machinery and Other Components & Systems.[3]

Hitachi is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indices. It is ranked 38th in the 2012 Fortune Global 500 and 129th in the 2012 Forbes Global 2000.

History

Former Hitachi logo

Hitachi was founded in 1910 by electrical engineer Namihei Odaira. The company's first product was Japan's first 5-horsepower electric induction motor, initially developed for use in copper mining. Odaira's company soon became the domestic leader in electric motors and electric power industry infrastructure. [4]

The company began as an in-house venture of Fusanosuke Kuhara's mining company in Hitachi, Ibaraki prefecture. Odaira moved headquarters to Tokyo in 1918. Long before that, he coined the company’s toponymic name by superimposing two kanji characters: hi meaning “sun” and tachi meaning “rise”. The young company's national aspirations were conveyed by its original brand mark, which evoked Japan's imperial rising sun flag.

Hitachi America, Ltd. was established in 1959.[5] Hitachi Europe, Ltd. was established in 1982.[6]

In March 2011, Hitachi agreed to sell its hard disk drive subsidiary, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, to Western Digital for a combination of cash and shares worth US$4.3 billion.[7] Due to concerns of a duopoly of WD and Seagate by the EU Commission and the FTC, Hitachi's 3.5" HDD division was sold to Toshiba. The transaction was completed in March 2012.[8]

Hitachi entered talks with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in August 2011 about a potential merger of the two companies, in what would have been the largest merger between two Japanese companies in history.[9][10] The talks subsequently broke down and were suspended.[11]

In October 2012, Hitachi agreed to acquire the United Kingdom-based nuclear energy company Horizon Nuclear Power, which plans to construct up to six nuclear power plants in the UK, from E.ON and RWE for £700 million.[12][13]

In November 2012, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries agreed to merge their thermal power generation businesses into a joint venture to be owned 65% by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and 35% by Hitachi.[14][15] The joint venture is planned to begin operations in 2014.[14][15]

Products and services

Information and telecommunication systems

The Hitachi factory in Toyokawa, Japan

Power systems

Social infrastructure and industrial systems

Electronic systems and equipment

  • LCDs
  • Medical electronics equipment
  • Power tools
  • Semiconductor manufacturing equipment
  • Test and measurement equipment

Construction machinery

A Hitachi hydraulic excavator in use
  • Hydraulic Excavators
  • Mechanical & Hydraulic Cranes
  • Mining Dump Trucks
  • Wheel Loaders

High functional materials and components

  • Circuit boards and materials
  • Copper products
  • High grade casting components and materials
  • Magnetic materials and components
  • Semiconductor and Display Related Materials
  • Specialty steels
  • Wires and cables

Automotive systems

Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas Offices, Farmington Hills, Michigan
  • Car Information Systems
  • Drive Control Systems
  • Electric Powertrain Systems
  • Engine Management Systems

Components and devices

  • Batteries
  • Hard Disk Drives
  • Information Storage Media
  • LCDs

Digital media and consumer products

2008 Hitachi air conditioning outdoor unit

Financial services

Other

  • Logistics
  • Property management

Aircraft

Subsidiaries and divisions

Current

Hitachi Consulting

Main article: Hitachi Consulting

Hitachi Consulting is an international management and technology consulting firm with headquarters in Dallas, Texas. It was founded in 2000 and currently employs approximately 4,000 people across the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, India, Spain, Portugal, Germany and China.

Hitachi Data Systems

Main article: Hitachi Data Systems

Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi which provides hardware, software and services to help companies manage their digital data. Its flagship products are the Virtual Storage Platform (for enterprise storage), Hitachi Unified Storage VM for large sized companies, Hitachi Unified Storage for small and mid-sized companies, Hitachi Content Platform (archiving and cloud architecture), Hitachi Command Suite (for storage management), Hitachi TrueCopy and Hitachi Universal Replicator (for remote replication), and the Hitachi NAS Platform, powered by BlueArc.

Hitachi Electronics

Hitachi manufactures many types of electronic products including TVs, Camcorders, Projectors and Recording Media under its own brand name.

Hitachi Koki

Hitachi manufactures many types of tools including chainsaws, drills, woodworking power tools. Some are branded Koki Tanaka.

Hitachi Plant Technologies

Hitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd., along with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, sale, servicing, and execution of social and industrial infrastructure machinery, mechatronics, air-conditioning systems, industrial plants, and energy plant equipment in Asia and internationally.

Hitachi Rail

A British Rail Class 395 train produced by Hitachi

Hitachi Rail is involved in designing and manufacturing many models of Shinkansen vehicles, including the latest N700 Series Shinkansen.[16] Several different models of the N700 are manufactured, including the 700T for Taiwan High Speed Rail.

Hitachi currently markets a general-purpose train known as the "A-train", which utilises double-skin friction stir welded aluminium body construction. The A-train concept can be customised to form a commuter train like the automated 3000 series train for the Nanakuma Line, a limited express train like the E257 series, or a high-speed train such as the Class 395 operating in the UK.[16] In June 2008, Hitachi also submitted a tender for the UK's Intercity Express Programme.[17]

Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries agreed to cooperate in the field of international intra-city railway systems in 2010.[18]

Hitachi Works

Hitachi Works is the oldest member of the Hitachi Group and consists of three factories: Kaigan Works, Yamate Works, and Rinkai Works. Yamate Works, the oldest of the three factories, was founded in 1910 by Namihei Odaira as an electrical equipment repair and manufacturing facility. This facility was named Hitachi, after the Hitachi Mine near Hitachi, Ibaraki, and is regarded as the ancestral home of Hitachi, Ltd.

Many management trainees intern at Hitachi Works before being permanently assigned to other Hitachi divisions. Senior management personnel are often participants in rotations at Hitachi Works for a few years as their career develops towards eventual head office stature. As a result, many of the senior managers of Hitachi Ltd have passed through Hitachi Works.

Spin-off entities from Hitachi Works include Hitachi Cable (1956) and Hitachi Canadian Industries (1988).

Former

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) manufactures computer hard drives. There are 3 main ranges: Hitachi Travelstar, Hitachi Deskstar, and Hitachi Ultrastar.

On March 7, 2011 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies was purchased by Western Digital Corporation for $3.5 billion in cash and $750 million in Western Digital common stock.[19]

Hitachi Printing Systems

Hitachi Printing Systems was established in 1980 and was acquired by Ricoh in 2004, becoming Ricoh Printing Systems, Ltd.

Corporate social responsibility

In August 2011 it was announced that Hitachi would donate an electron microscope to each of five universities in Indonesia (the University of North Sumatra in Medan, the Indonesian Christian University in Jakarta, Padjadjaran University in Bandung, General Soedirman University in Purwokerto and Muhammadiyah University in Malang).[20]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "2010 Form 10-K, Hitachi". Yahoo Invester. 
  2. ↑ Corporate Profile
  3. ↑ Our Businesses : Hitachi Global. Hitachi.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-16.
  4. ↑ "History (1910-1959) : Hitachi Global". Hitachi.com. 2010-06-29. Retrieved 2013-01-07. 
  5. ↑ "History (1910-1959)". Hitachi. Retrieved 11 November 2012. 
  6. ↑ "History (1980-1999)". Hitachi. Retrieved 11 November 2012. 
  7. ↑ "WD to Buy Hitachi's Drive Business for $4.3 Billion". PC Magazine. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2012. 
  8. ↑ "Western Digital Closes Hitachi GST Acquisition, to Operate Separate Subsidiaries". PC World. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012. 
  9. ↑ "Hitachi, Mitsubishi edge towards groundbreaking merger". Reuters. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2012. 
  10. ↑ "Shares of Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy get merger boost". BBC News. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2012. 
  11. ↑ "Mitsubishi Heavy, Hitachi shares tumble as merger talks stall". Reuters. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2012. 
  12. ↑ "Hitachi buys UK nuclear project from E.On and RWE". BBC News. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012. 
  13. ↑ "Hitachi wins bid to build up to six UK nuclear plants". Reuters. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy shares rise after merger". BBC News. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "MHI, Hitachi plan to merge thermal power units to boost overseas sales". The Japan Times. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Hitachi Transportation Systems website
  17. ↑ "Hitachi Launches Bid For Intercity Express Programme". Hitachi-Rail.com. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2013-01-07. 
  18. ↑
  19. ↑ Murph, Darren (2011-03-07). "Western Digital drops $4.3 billion to acquire Hitachi GST, enter staring contest with Seagate". Engadget.com. Retrieved 2013-01-07. 
  20. ↑ "Hitachi to grant electron microscopes". The Jakarta Post. 5 August 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2012. 

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