The Hitachi Social Innovation Forum 2017 MANILA was held at Makati Shangri-La, Manila, on 29th September 2017, for the third time this year.

With a focus on railway systems, this event showcased Hitachi’s Social Innovation in the global market through hosted seminars, stage interview, Q&A as well as a hosted exhibition showcasing how Hitachi can address the challenging issues faced in the Philippines through collaborative creation.

Mr. Joel R. Magbanua, Chief, Rail Transport Planning Division, Department of Transportation, graced the event as Guest-of-Honor on behalf of Secretary Arthur P. Tugade, Department of Transportation, Republic of the Philippines and talked about various infrastructure projects such as Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), Official Development Assistance (ODA) and the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Mr. Makoto Iyori, Minister for Economic Affairs, Embassy of Japan, also gave a speech on behalf of H.E. Kazuhide Ishikawa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of the Philippines.

Hitachi’s presentations by Mr. Shinya Mitsudomi, Corporate Officer, Group Head of Sales and MD, Japan/Asia Pacific, Hitachi, Ltd., Railway Systems Business Unit, Mr. Gabriel Koe, Head of Sales & Delivery (South East Asia and Taiwan region), Ansaldo STS (a Hitachi Group Company), Dr. Yoichi Sugita, Chief Lumada Officer, and Mr. Mitsuhiko Shimizu, General Manager, Hitachi Asia Ltd. Philippine Branch, also allowed distinguished guests to understand how Hitachi can contribute to the Philippines’ growth, as well as its existing businesses in areas such as railway and urban development. Specifically, guests found out more about the latest trends in the global railway industry, including future technologies on asset monitoring, IOT/analytics, and maintenance optimization that Hitachi Rail is spearheading. Beyond that, guests also learnt about Hitachi Rail’s contribution to social innovation, operations, maintenance solutions, and international footprint. Ansaldo STS’s “full system approach” and “turnkey capability” were also explored.

A stage interview and Q&A highlighted the importance of achieving a smarter city through solving transportation problems. Panelists explored possible collaborations with Hitachi’s total integrated railway systems. This engaging session featured the three railway expert speakers from Hitachi, as well as an external panelist, Mr. Yasuhiro Kawai, Director, Nikkei BP Intelligence Group, Cleantech Institute, Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. The session was moderated by Mr. David Celdran, News Anchor, ABS-CBN Corporation.

The event concluded with a cocktail reception to provide ample opportunity for mingling and to facilitate the sharing of ideas amongst key stakeholders in the Philippine market.

This was the fourth time that the Hitachi Social Innovation Forum was held in the Philippines, following successful events in other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar. The forum attracted about 140 guests.

Event Highlights