Hitachi Rail to Acquire Omnicom for Digital Asset Management
Hitachi Rail has announced an agreement to acquire Omnicom, a digital rail monitoring business currently owned by Balfour Beatty.
Hitachi Rail has announced an agreement to acquire Omnicom, a digital rail monitoring business currently owned by Balfour Beatty.
The acquisition forms a key part of Hitachi Rail’s strategy to expand its digital asset management capabilities through its HMAX platform.
Omnicom specialises in software and hardware solutions for surveying, inspecting, and monitoring rail infrastructure assets. Its products include an Infrastructure Monitoring System, gauge clearance measurement tools, line visual inspection technology, and infrastructure scanning equipment.
By leveraging edge computing and machine learning, Omnicom’s systems deliver near real-time anomaly detection on rail tracks, facilitating informed decision-making for maintenance planning and asset management.
“This is a strategic acquisition for Hitachi Rail. Plugging Omnicom’s pioneering track monitoring tools into our digital asset management platform, will further strengthen our global offer to optimise customers’ rail services and the surrounding infrastructure. New technological solutions such as our HMAX platform demonstrate the power of AI to enhance the performance of our railway infrastructure and systems.”
For over 25 years, Omnicom has supported major rail customers with its monitoring and geometry measurement technology. Its systems collect and analyse vast amounts of data—processing trillions of bytes of images daily—to help optimise trackside maintenance and improve asset reliability.
This acquisition will integrate Omnicom’s technology into Hitachi Rail’s recently launched HMAX suite. HMAX is a digital asset management platform that consolidates live data from trains and rail infrastructure into a single system. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, the platform processes data to enhance railway operations, including traffic flow, energy efficiency, and predictive maintenance.
One of HMAX’s key features is its ability to process data at the “edge”—directly on trains or infrastructure—allowing for real-time insights. Only relevant information is sent to operational control centres, significantly reducing the time required to identify and act on maintenance needs.
“This acquisition strengthens Omnicom’s ability to collaborate, innovate and deliver AI-enabled systems and services whilst further enhancing the safety, efficiency, and reliability of rail infrastructure, building on our proven data driven solutions which help predict and prevent railway asset failures. I look forward to Omnicom’s continuing success as part of the Hitachi brand.”
