Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Asia Ltd. hosted the second Hitachi Social Innovation Forum (HSIF) in the Philippines last 20 February 2017 at the Makati Shangri La Hotel.
Through the event, Hitachi aims to increase awareness of the company’s Social Innovation Business in the Philippines, which combines infrastructure and advanced information technologies, to its customers, business partners, and major stakeholders. It also aims to position Hitachi as a consolidated one-stop service solutions partner for the country’s inclusive growth and sustainable urban development, as well as offer technological solutions for pressing social issues.
The guest-of-honor was Secretary Arthur P. Tugade, Department of Transportation, Republic of Philippines. Customers, business partners, and major stakeholders in the Philippines had a better understanding of Hitachi’s key business fields through business presentations focusing on the company’s total railway solutions as well as innovative R&D initiatives to realize social innovation through customer co-creation.
Two panel discussions were held for the first time at HSIF in this region to address the urgent need to expand public transportation beyond the metropolis as well as highlight the interconnectivity of smart infrastructure via network operating systems and data security. The first topic was “Railway: The Future of Public Mobility” while the second panel discussion was about “Smart Infrastructure in IoT Era”.
“With the Philippines’ rapid economic growth, urban development has been identified as an important growth engine for the country. However, urban development must be both sustainable and environment-friendly for it to be able to improve the quality of life over time,” said Mr. Mitsuhiko Shimizu, general manager of Hitachi Asia Ltd. Philippine Branch. “With our unique competencies in information and operations technologies, as well as our proven products and systems in the global market, we are confident that we can leverage our expertise and be an innovative partner for both the public and private sectors working in areas such as transportation, energy management, railway systems, security solutions, among others.”
In the 2018 mid-term management plan, Hitachi targets to increase its overseas sales ratio to more than 55%. The Philippines will play an instrumental role in helping Hitachi achieve the target by focusing on energy management, railway and urban development solutions in addition to its high functional materials and ICT businesses.