Hitachi Energy has said it is propelling a sustainable energy future by leveraging innovative power grid technologies, with digital at its core, in collaboration with Microsoft. The partnership will accelerate the digital transformation of crucial infrastructure, including electricity networks, transportation corridors, and heavy industrial operations by re-imagining the management and maintenance of critical assets.
Power grids, rail networks, manufacturing facilities, and other critical assets are often decades old and are under pressure from rising demand, extreme weather, and aging components. Failures within these systems can lead to severe cascading impacts, including widespread blackouts, safety incidents, environmental damage, and significant economic losses. By combining Hitachi Energy’s expertise in managing critical infrastructure with Microsoft’s artificial intelligence (AI) and data capabilities, operators can transition from reactive problem solving to proactive, comprehensive, data-driven asset lifecycle management addressing issues before they occur, the firm said in a statement.
Hitachi Energy is reinventing Hitachi Energy’s Ellipse Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) with Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Microsoft Foundry, into a unified solution to manage data, analytics, and business operations, it added.
“Hitachi Energy has decades of experience building and operating the infrastructure that keeps modern life running,” said Massimo Danieli, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Business Unit Grid Automation at Hitachi Energy. “Microsoft technology accelerates and enhances value to our Ellipse customers, while also bringing to market a solution that is unmatched in terms of IT and OT capabilities, offering essential service providers the ability to operate more intelligently and sustainably.”
“Critical Infrastructure operators need insight they can act on. Together with Hitachi Energy, we’re combining AI, cloud, and enterprise systems to help organizations move from reactive maintenance to predictive operations, improving reliability, safety, and long-term value for the infrastructure society depends on,” added Dayan Rodriguez, Corporate Vice President, Manufacturing and Mobility at Microsoft.
“Hitachi Solutions is proud to support this strategic reinvention and the tremendous impact it can have to drive new efficiencies into critical OT applications,” noted Soichiro Ohara, Chairman & CEO, Hitachi Solutions America. “Our role is to drive rapid deployment, integration, and business outcomes, ensuring customers realise the full potential of this industry-leading AI-driven solution.”
The solution utilises a combination of digital tools, including Microsoft Foundry, Fabric, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, to integrate crucial datasets that support asset operations. This integration offers visibility of equipment across entire networks. By analysing supply chain, HR, and financial data, the solution can recommend the optimal time for maintenance. This ultimately enables organisations to operate and plan investments more efficiently. As a result, organisations can expect more reliable services, safer operations, and reduced emergency repairs, which are often the most costly and disruptive, the firm explained.
Traditionally, EAMs and supporting systems, like ERPs and CRMs, operate independently, making data silos. EAM data focuses on asset lifecycle management but can be strengthened when combined with supporting data, like financials, procurement, and workforce planning, often found in an ERP or CRM. This separation often leads to inefficiencies, data duplication, and limited visibility.
By integrating these systems, with Microsoft’s Agentic business applications, utilities gain: end-to-end visibility – a single source of truth for assets, financials, and operations enables better decision-making and compliance; optimised asset management – real-time data flow between EAM and ERP systems for accurate budgeting, forecasting, and resource allocation; improved reliability and resilience – predictive maintenance powered by integrated data reduces downtime and extends asset life; streamlined processes – unified workflows eliminate redundancies, accelerate work orders, and improve customer service, and regulatory and sustainability alignment – integrated reporting supports environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals and regulatory compliance.
Hitachi Energy’s solution will be delivered through its ecosystem of system integrators, including Hitachi Solutions, a global systems integrator within the Hitachi Group. Hitachi Solutions will serve as the foundational advisor and partner in the implementation design process. The firm’s recent recognition as Microsoft Dynamics 365 (Finance) Partner of the Year, coupled with its experience in delivering large-scale, global digital transformations, will expedite adoption and ensure consistent, high-quality outcomes for end users, said the statement from Hitachi Energy.
For customers, this integration can become the backbone and strategic enabler of their digital transformation initiatives. It empowers organisations to transition from reactive to proactive operations, harness advanced analytics, and deliver value to customers while effectively managing costs. This integration transforms tools from passive repositories into dynamic, self-optimising platforms that consolidate data, automate processes, and drive enterprise-wide efficiency, it added.
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Source: ME Construction News
