Hitachi Rail has completed the strategic acquisition of digital rail monitoring business Omnicom from international infrastructure group Balfour Beatty. The deal is set to bolster Hitachi Rail’s digital asset management platform, HMAX, which is used to optimise railway operations and maintenance.
Omnicom’s proprietary sensor technology and solutions, which include software and hardware for surveying and monitoring rail infrastructure, will now be integrated into Hitachi Rail’s HMAX platform. This technology, which can be installed on trains, uses edge computing and machine learning to provide near-real-time anomaly detection on railway tracks. This allows for the collection of vast amounts of data, enabling customers to optimise their trackside maintenance planning and asset lifecycles.
Koji Agatsuma, Hitachi Rail’s Executive Director and CTO, said: “This strategic acquisition complements our existing cutting-edge proprietary technology, backed by the digital power of the Hitachi Group. Our HMAX platform is driving the digital transformation of rail, and the addition of Omnicom’s track monitoring tools further strengthens our global offer to optimize our customer’s railway systems.”
With HMAX already installed on over 2,000 trains worldwide, the addition of Omnicom’s technology is expected to enhance its bespoke offerings for customers. The HMAX platform, launched in September 2024, is a comprehensive digital asset management solution that integrates live data from trains and infrastructure into a single platform. It uses AI and machine learning to process data and provide actionable insights for operational and service improvements, such as traffic optimisation and predictive maintenance.
Sanjay Razdan, Managing Director of Omnicom, said: “From today our technology will complement Hitachi Rail’s existing digital asset management solutions, enabling HMAX to deliver even more for customers around the world. This acquisition will also enable us to benefit from the unique digital capabilities of the wider Hitachi Group, enabling us to continue to innovate and deliver AI-enabled systems that can optimize the management of railway infrastructure.”
