History of Hitachi
Hitachi, Ltd. is a Japanese multinational company founded in 1910 by Namihei Odaira as an electrical repair shop in Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture. The company initially focused on producing electric motors for mining operations. Over the decades, Hitachi expanded its product range, entering industries such as consumer electronics, heavy machinery, information technology, and infrastructure development. By the mid-20th century, it had become one of Japan’s leading industrial and technological firms.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Hitachi diversified further into sectors like nuclear energy, automotive systems, and data storage. It became a global powerhouse in digital solutions, smart cities, and artificial intelligence. While restructuring in the 2010s led to the sale of non-core businesses, the company remains a leader in industrial technology, railway systems, and IT services, continuing to innovate in various fields worldwide.