On August 4, 2021, Hitachi, Ltd. announced that Hitachi Rail, which is the operator of a railway systems business, will acquire the railway signal business of Thales, a leading French electrical systems company. The agreed-on total acquisition amount is 1.66 billion euros (approximately 215 billion yen), with the final price to be established at closing in FY2022. Through this acquisition, Hitachi intends to expand its railway signal system business globally and to accelerate business growth.
At a press conference held on the day of the announcement, Alistair Dormer, who is the executive vice president of Hitachi, Ltd., expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition, saying: "This is the chance of a lifetime. This acquisition will enable Hitachi to become a global leader in the railway systems business."
