The themes handled by engineers in the R&D department are extremely wide-ranging, from basic research to applied research, and include technology development that is essential for business development, research into materials for specific purposes and research directly linked to products, and comprehensive system development for building global networks. The activities of the R&D department are based in five regions around the world (Japan, North America (Americas), Europe, China, and APAC (Asia-Pacific)), and research is promoted in collaboration with these regions on a global scale.

The role of design and development is to reflect evolving technology and bring it to fruition as products, providing new value to the world. With Hitachi’s technological capabilities as its backbone, the division responds to the ever-changing market trends and social needs, and is involved in everything from planning and development to commercialization of equipment and systems. For example, in the IT Division, we develop and commercialize hardware and software such as servers, in the Industry Division, we develop and commercialize various power generation equipment, and in the Mobility Division, we develop and commercialize transportation systems and elevators.

The job of a systems engineer is to share the future goals of the government, local government, and companies, and to plan, design, and develop the systems that will make them a reality. It’s not just about designing systems, but also about what kind of services will be realized, how they will work with the people who use them, and the services and work content themselves. In fact, it’s a job that often involves leaving your desk and meeting and discussing things with many people. There are also professionals who are experts in specialized technology and who create new technology from Hitachi. It’s a job that takes many forms.

Production technology engineers are responsible for expanding production volume and improving production efficiency from a technical perspective. Each division has its own production technology department, with Yokohama Research Laboratory as the research base. These departments are at the core of our efforts to develop and put into practical use production technologies that will expand production efficiency and improve product cost performance. The scope of their activities extends to all business divisions, including software production technology engineers who contribute to the construction of information systems from the perspective of improving productivity.

As the “guardian of quality”, quality assurance checks to ensure that products and systems are safe and reliable. We always put ourselves in the customer’s shoes, checking from the upstream process to ensure that products and systems reliably meet the required functions, performance, durability, etc., and preventing problems from occurring. Our job is also to promote the development and practical application of quality assurance technology under the theme of “Quality is the essence of Hitachi products”. We carry out rigorous checks in each business group and division.

This job involves supporting sales activities from a technical perspective. You will identify the technical issues that need to be solved in order to meet the customer’s needs, coordinate with the relevant departments within the company, and lay the foundations for solution design. In addition to simply delivering products, you will also explore issues and problems that the customer themselves may not be aware of, and provide specific solutions by leveraging the comprehensive strengths of the Hitachi Group.