Hitachi Rail completes acquisition of Omnicom to bolster its digital asset management business

• Hitachi Rail completes the acquisition of digital rail monitoring business Omnicom from international infrastructure group, Balfour Beatty
• Strategic acquisition supports the growth of Hitachi Rail's HMAX digital asset management platform, which optimizes railway operations and maintenance
• Omnicom's proprietary sensor technology will support Hitachi Rail customers to optimize their trackside maintenance.

London, August 1, 2025 Hitachi Rail has acquired the cutting-edge digital rail monitoring business Omnicom from Balfour Beatty in a strategic move to further grow HMAX, Hitachi Rail's digital asset management business.
With HMAX already installed on over 2,000 trains/ 8,000 rail cars globally, Omnicom solutions will now feed into the platform's bespoke offering for Hitachi Rail's customers around the world.
The new solutions and proprietary technology acquired by Hitachi Rail include software and hardware for surveying, inspecting and monitoring rail infrastructure assets including the overhead line and the track. The monitoring technology can be installed on trains and uses edge computing and machine learning to provide near real-time anomaly detection on rail tracks. The technology can enable the collection of trillions of bytes of images per day, allowing customers to optimize their trackside maintenance planning and the asset lifecycle.

Commenting on the announcement, Hitachi Rail Executive Director and CTO, Koji Agatsuma, 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."

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."

Launched at InnoTrans in September 2024, HMAX is a comprehensive digital asset management solution which seamlessly integrates a vast array of live data from the train and the surrounding rail infrastructure into a single platform. HMAX harnesses Lumada 3.0 unique digital capabilities to combine the IT, OT(Operational Technology) and Products of the Hitachi group to deliver this cutting-edge set of solutions. The platform uses AI and machine learning to process the data and extract knowledge and apply it to achieve operational and service enhancements including traffic optimization, energy consumption reduction, and an on-condition/ predictive maintenance process.

HMAX also enables huge volumes of data to be processed at the 'edge' (on the trains or infrastructure) in real time, with only relevant information sent back to the operational control centers. This enables an unprecedented improvement in the speed that actionable insights reach transport operators, as previously it could take days for data to be processed in maintenance locations.

About Hitachi Rail:
Hitachi Rail is committed to driving the sustainable mobility transition and has a clear focus on partnering with customers to rethink mobility. Its mission is to help every passenger, customer and community enjoy the benefits of more connected, seamless and sustainable transport.
With revenues of over €7bn and 24,000 employees across more than 50 countries, Hitachi Rail is a trusted partner to the world's best transport organisations. The company's reach is global, but the business is local - with success built on developing local talent and investing in people and communities.
Its international capabilities and expertise span every part of the urban, mainline and freight rail ecosystems – from high quality manufacturing and maintenance of rolling stock to secure digital signalling, smart operations and payment systems.
Hitachi Rail, famous for Japan's iconic high speed bullet train, draws on the digital and AI expertise of Hitachi Group companies to accelerate innovation and develop new technologies. Hitachi Group's revenues for FY2024 (ended March 31, 2025) totaled €581.6 bn / ¥9,783.3 bn, with 618 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 280,000 employees worldwide.
Find out more by visiting hitachirail.com

About Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group with over 26,000 employees driving the delivery of powerful new solutions, shaping thinking, creating skylines and inspiring a new generation of talent to be the change-makers of tomorrow.
We finance, develop, build, maintain and operate the increasingly complex and critical infrastructure that supports national economies and deliver projects at the heart of local communities.
Over the last 114 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world. Currently, we are working to deliver Hinkley Point C, the first UK nuclear power station in a generation; constructing the world-class arts and cultural facility, the Lyric Theatre, in Hong Kong; and designing, building, financing, operating and maintaining the Automated People Mover superstructure at one of the busiest airports in the world, Los Angeles International Airport.