The figures above are derived from Hitachi’s corporate profile for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026.3

Hitachi is best understood as a large-scale technology conglomerate and industrial group rather than solely an electronics manufacturer. Its historical foundations lie in electrical engineering and heavy industry. Over more than a century, the company has developed a vast array of equipment ranging from electric motors, transformers, and locomotives to elevators, power-generation systems, computers, and industrial machinery.4

In the 21st century, Hitachi has repositioned its business model around the convergence of information technology (IT), operational technology (OT), and physical products or infrastructure. This approach entails providing not only physical machinery but also the accompanying software, data systems, control mechanisms, artificial intelligence, maintenance services, and digital solutions. Key sectors of involvement include:

• Power grids and energy management
• High-speed and urban railway systems
• Railway signalling and traffic management
• Industrial automation and manufacturing technologies
• Digital transformation and cloud data systems
• AI and IoT applications
• Healthcare equipment and diagnostic systems
• Analytical and scientific instruments
• Elevators, escalators, and building management systems

Hitachi describes this strategic direction as fostering progress at the intersection where digital technology meets the physical world.5

Namihei Odaira

Hitachi was founded by Namihei Odaira, an electrical engineer dedicated to advancing Japan’s domestic industrial and electrical capabilities. The company’s origins trace back to 1910, when Odaira established an electrical machinery repair and manufacturing operation associated with the Hitachi mine in Ibaraki Prefecture. Among the enterprise’s earliest significant achievements was the completion of a 5-horsepower induction motor.6

From its inception, the company emphasised the development of indigenous Japanese engineering expertise over reliance on imported technology. This commitment to engineering excellence, manufacturing quality, research, and technological self-reliance became a defining element of Hitachi’s corporate identity.7

Establishment of Hitachi, Ltd.

Although the company recognises 1910 as its founding year, Hitachi was legally incorporated as Hitachi, Ltd. on February 1, 1920.8

Hitachi expanded rapidly beyond its initial focus on electric motors, achieving several notable milestones in its early decades.

1910s

During its first decade, the company developed and manufactured electric motors, transformers, electrical measuring instruments, large water turbines, and fans.

1920s

Hitachi entered the railway sector and, in 1924, produced Japan’s first large-scale domestically manufactured electric locomotive. The company also commenced exports in 1926 with electric fans.9

1930s

The product portfolio broadened significantly to include transformers, elevators, refrigerators, water infrastructure, electrical control systems, diesel engines, and escalators. Hitachi began elevator production in 1932 and delivered its first passenger elevator the following year. Its first escalator was delivered in 1936.10 This diversification demonstrates that Hitachi maintained an extensive product range well before the modern era of multinational conglomerates.

Following World War II, Hitachi played a pivotal role in Japan’s reconstruction and industrialisation. The company developed critical technologies across electric power, heavy machinery, transportation, telecommunications, consumer appliances, electronics, computers, industrial automation, and scientific instruments.

Significant investment in research and development yielded milestones including electron microscopes, transistor-based electronics, computers, nuclear technology, power-generation equipment, and advanced industrial machinery.11 By the latter half of the 20th century, Hitachi had established itself as one of Japan’s premier diversified technology companies.

For general consumers, particularly outside Japan, Hitachi became widely recognised as a consumer electronics and appliance brand. Historically, its consumer product lineup included televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, audio equipment, camcorders, computers, hard-disk drives, and projectors.

While this legacy contributes to the enduring perception of Hitachi as a Japanese electronics manufacturer, it no longer accurately reflects the company’s primary business focus. The group has progressively divested from many consumer-facing categories to concentrate on enterprise technology, infrastructure, energy, transportation, industrial systems, and digital services.

The 2000s marked a critical period of restructuring for Hitachi. Facing intense competition in consumer electronics and rapid shifts in the global technology landscape, the company realigned its portfolio. Management concentrated resources on areas where the combination of engineering, infrastructure, software, and data analytics offered distinct competitive advantages.

This transformation shifted the strategic emphasis towards digital technology, infrastructure, industrial systems, energy, transportation, and enterprise services. Consequently, Hitachi transitioned from being perceived primarily as an electronics manufacturer to operating as a comprehensive digital-industrial company.

As of 2026, Hitachi positions itself as a global leader in digital innovation and sustainable solutions. Its business portfolio is organised into seven primary sectors:12

1. Digital
2. Energy
3. Mobility
4. Industry
5. Measurement & Analytical Systems
6. Healthcare
7. Building Systems

Digital

The Digital sector is central to Hitachi’s modern strategy. The company provides technologies and services encompassing cloud computing, data platforms, artificial intelligence, generative AI, industrial IoT, digital engineering, enterprise software, control systems, cybersecurity, and IT/OT integration. A core tenet of this strategy is the fusion of IT with OT and physical infrastructure, which is particularly valuable in sectors requiring software interaction with real-world assets such as factories, power grids, and transport networks.13

Lumada

Lumada serves as Hitachi’s proprietary digital solutions platform. It leverages data, AI, IoT, and industrial expertise to resolve business and infrastructure challenges. Rather than supplying standalone hardware, Lumada enables comprehensive solutions that collect operational data, apply AI analytics, predict equipment failures, optimise efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and support digital transformation. Investor materials identify Lumada as a fundamental component of Hitachi’s transition to a digital-industrial business model.14

Energy

Hitachi’s Energy sector focuses on electrification and the energy transition. Activities span electricity transmission, power grids, grid automation and integration, energy management, renewable energy integration, nuclear power, hydrogen technologies, and digital energy systems. The company is heavily involved in the infrastructure required to transmit, control, distribute, digitise, and optimise electricity, rather than solely focusing on generation.15

Mobility

With a history in railway technology dating to the 1920s, mobility remains one of Hitachi’s most internationally visible businesses. Current activities include high-speed trains, metro and commuter trains, railway signalling, traffic management, train control systems, digital railway systems, and maintenance services. This sector exemplifies Hitachi’s strategy of integrating physical rolling stock with signalling, software, data, and operational systems.16

Industry

Hitachi supports manufacturers through factory automation, industrial IoT, manufacturing optimisation, AI analytics, supply-chain optimisation, and connected factory technologies. The objective is to transform traditional manufacturing facilities into data-driven, connected industrial environments.17

Healthcare

The Healthcare sector encompasses medical imaging, diagnostic systems, healthcare information technology, analytical equipment, and related digital systems. These offerings draw upon Hitachi’s broader expertise in electronics, sensors, precision engineering, and data processing.

Measurement & Analytical Systems

This technically specialised area involves sophisticated scientific and industrial instruments used to analyse materials, chemicals, and biological samples. The business builds upon Hitachi’s long-standing heritage in precision engineering and scientific instrumentation.18

Building Systems

Hitachi operates in building infrastructure through elevators, escalators, building-management systems, vertical transportation, and smart-building technologies. This division has deep historical roots, with elevator production commencing in 1932 and the first passenger elevator delivered in 1933.

Hitachi operates as a truly global entity with a significant international footprint. As of March 31, 2026, the Group reported 287,901 consolidated employees and 607 consolidated subsidiaries worldwide. Consolidated revenue for FY2025 stood at ¥10.5868 trillion.19 Business operations span Japan, North America, Europe, Asia, and other regions.

Hitachi’s founding mission was to “contribute to society through the development of superior, original technology and products.” This philosophy remains central to the corporate identity, though it has evolved to address contemporary challenges. Modern messaging emphasises sustainability, digital transformation, social infrastructure, the energy transition, mobility, innovation, partnerships, and the application of data and AI.20

Historically, the Hitachi brand symbolised Japanese engineering, quality, reliability, and social contribution. While preserving these associations, the company has repositioned the brand from a traditional manufacturer of reliable electrical goods to a technology integrator solving complex social and industrial problems through digital and physical infrastructure.21

Distinction from consumer appliances

It is important to distinguish between the Hitachi Group’s current strategic focus and the consumer products bearing the Hitachi name. Although branded appliances remain visible in the market, they do not reflect the economic weight of the group’s core businesses, which are now predominantly industrial and technological in nature.21

Hitachi’s primary differentiator is the breadth of its capabilities. Unlike firms specialising solely in software, transport, or power equipment, Hitachi integrates physical infrastructure, engineering, operational expertise, software, data, and AI. For instance, a single railway project may encompass rolling stock, signalling, traffic management, maintenance systems, and data analytics. Similarly, energy projects combine physical grid equipment with automation, monitoring, and analytics. This integrated approach defines Hitachi’s current market positioning.22

Historical milestones are based primarily on Hitachi’s official corporate history.23

Hitachi’s development can be visualised as a progression through distinct eras:

• 1910s: Electrical machinery
• 1930s–1950s: Heavy industry and infrastructure
• 1960s–1990s: Electronics, computers, appliances, and industrial technology
• 2000s: Global technology conglomerate
• 2010s: Major portfolio restructuring
• 2020s: Digital, AI, energy, rail, and industrial infrastructure
• Today: Digital technology connected to the physical world

Although Hitachi remains famous as a Japanese electronics brand, its modern identity is that of an industrial technology, infrastructure, and digital transformation company. The evolution from electric motors and heavy machinery to AI-enabled infrastructure constitutes the central narrative of the group’s history.24

1. Corporate Profile : Hitachi Global
2. History (1910-1960) : Hitachi Global
3. About Us : Hitachi Global
4. Products & Solutions : Hitachi Global
5. Group Companies : Hitachi Global
6. Outline of Hitachi 2016
7. SUSTAINABLE TRANSFORMATION
8. About the Hitachi Group
9. Hitachi at a glance : Investor Relations : Hitachi Global
10. Products & Solutions: Hitachi Global
11. Investor Relations : Hitachi Global
12. Investor Relations : Hitachi Global
13. Investor Relations : Hitachi Global
14. Hitachi High-Tech at a Glance ! Company Figures. : Hitachi High-Tech Corporation
15. About Us | Hitachi Digital Services
16. From founding to creation, our mission continues : Hitachi
17. Products & Solutions
18. Home : Hitachi Global
19. Home : Hitachi Global
20. Home : Hitachi Global
21. History : Hitachi Global
22. Integrated Report : Investor Relations : Hitachi Global
23. About Social Infrastructure Information Systems Division: Social Infrastructure Information Systems: Hitachi
24. Business Report : Investor Relations : Hitachi Global