Japanese industrial conglomerate Hitachi has completed, through its subsidiary Hitachi Rail and almost three years after its announcement, the acquisition of Thales’ rail signalling business for €1.66 billion. This acquisition strengthens its position as one of the leading manufacturers in the rail sector and increases its turnover in signalling and systems… Find out more about this major acquisition…
Strategic global expansion
This acquisition consolidates Hitachi Rail’s global position. The company’s presence now extends to key centers in Germany, France, Spain and Canada. This is in addition to its existing bases in Japan, Italy, the UK and the USA. As a result, Hitachi Rail covers more than 26,000 km of mainline railways and 4,600 km of urban subways. By integrating the capabilities of Thales GTS, Hitachi Rail is improving the quality of the services it provides.
Impressive figures and a vision for the future
Pro forma sales for the combined company reached €7.3 billion in 2023. This enables Hitachi Rail to exceed its annual target of 1 trillion yen. This growth is due to the company’s strategic reorientation towards more profitable sectors such as signalling and systems. These sectors now account for 60% of sales. In addition, the integration of 9,000 skilled professionals from Thales GTS brings the total workforce to 24,000.
Innovation and expertise for sustainable mobility
The integration of the Thales GTS teams brings additional expertise in engineering and innovation. A new agile innovation team has been created. It draws on the skills of GTS’s five global competence centers and Hitachi’s digital assets. This collaboration aims to offer advanced solutions in signage, ticketing, operations and cybersecurity.
With Thales’ GTS team, we are better positioned to lead the transition to sustainable mobility.
Giuseppe Marino, CEO of Hitachi Rail Group
In conclusion, this strategic acquisition transforms the global mobility sector. Hitachi Rail is focusing on innovation, digitization and sustainability. This strengthens its market position and opens up new prospects for the future of public transport.
