While cohosting Operational Excellence (OpEx) Day with the German Chamber of Commerce in China (GCC), HIMA Group introduced Sept. 15 its new HIMA China Innovation Center (CIC). The event highlighted HIMA’s localization journey in China and provided deeper insights into functional safety and OT security, while showcasing how its solutions protect people, assets and the environment. 

HIMA Group reports it brought its functional safety expertise to the Chinese market in 2002, laying the foundation for partnership with local players. It established its wholly owned subsidiary HIMA (Shanghai) Industrial Automation Co. in 2016, marking a landmark shift from market representation to fully localized operation, technical service and project delivery. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of HIMA China’s operations, reflecting a decade of deep market trust and sustained growth.

To continue HIMA’s commitment to excellence, the new CIC will focus on developing safety applications and digital solutions tailored to the evolving needs of China’s industries, fulfill local requirements, and contribute to HIMA’s global innovation roadmap. The center will operate under a dedicated HIMA China Innovation Board, ensuring strong governance and alignment with the group’s strategic objectives. A streamlined, group-wide innovation process will leverage best practices across the organization, enabling rapid ideation, validation and implementation of projects.

In addition, CIC will serve as a collaborative platform, engaging customers, institutes, technology partners and industry experts to co-create future technological solutions. Key focus areas include digitalization, industrial cybersecurity and intelligent systems that support China’s push toward high-quality manufacturing and operational excellence. Ultimately, it serves to foster a win-win ecosystem through stronger connections and shared industry intelligence.

“Launching the HIMA China Innovation Center is an important next step in HIMA China’s development,” says Jörg de la Motte, CEO of HIMA Group. “We’re combining HIMA's unique expertise with the local innovation capabilities of our team in China to develop solutions that create value for customers in China and beyond.”

HIMA reports the CIC has a structured roadmap for safety applications and digital solutions, paving the way for continued expansion of its safety business in China. Since its inception, this initiative achieved several important milestones. For example, a key achievement was the official launch of HIMA’s HMI local version software, which not only delivers traditional HMI functionalities, but also integrates digital features to support smarter, more efficient operations.

“The China Innovation Center launch is a major milestone for our 24 years journey in China,” adds Zhou Yao (Zena), GM of HIMA China. “This is an open platform that brings together HIMA’s global safety expertise with local customers, institutes, EPCs, OEMs and partners. Our vision is clear—innovation without borders. To deliver it, our core aims are: build a strong local system, solve real safety challenges, develop local talent, and export Chinese innovations globally. In practice, we’re prioritizing digitalization, cybersecurity and intelligent systems, by working closely with local partners, we create solutions that meet China’s needs while also delivering value to industries worldwide.”