31st March 2023, Kathmandu
HIMA, a leading provider of safety-related automation solutions for the Process and Railway industries, announced its new branch office in Taiwan on 29th March 2023.
Graced by Mr. Friedhelm Best, HIMA Vice President Region Asia Pacific, the opening of this office affirms HIMA’s commitment to customers and partners in Taiwan and boosts HIMA’s presence in Asia Pacific.
“The opening of this branch office will further strengthen our service capabilities to customers and partners in Taiwan and improve the efficiency of local business transactions, aligning with the group’s global priority towards customer orientation,” said Mr. Best.
As safety specialists, HIMA aims to play its part in Taiwan with its technology and expertise – offering solutions that include safety controllers and software for functional safety, which can be seamlessly connected to existing control systems in process and rail applications.
Process Industry
With over 50,000 safety solutions installed worldwide in 80 different countries, HIMA is looking to add to that number with more installations within Taiwan. The processing of chemicals and petrochemicals is one of the most important industrial sectors worldwide, as well as one of the most competitive.
“To keep on top of the competition, many companies are pushing the limits of their plants which means exposing technology, the environment, and their employees to higher risk,” said Mr. Best. “HIMA solutions comprehensively safeguard plants and allow them to operate more productively and profitably, all with the peace of mind that all legal standards are adhered to.”
One solution used in different cases worldwide is HIMA’s line of Emergency Shut Down Systems, with HIMatrix being a popular choice.
Installed in APA Group’s (Australia’s largest natural gas infrastructure business) gas storage facility, the controller ensures maximum safety, and long-term availability, as well as future-proofing – since they fulfill all requirements for functional safety in the process industry (IEC 61511) and provide effective protection against the growing threat of cyber-attacks (IEC 62443), falling nicely in line with the HIMA’s #safetygoesdigital tagline.
Rail Industry
For decades, railway companies in particular have had to turn to expensive, proprietary solutions to meet legal requirements for safety. However, with cost pressures and cybersecurity vulnerabilities on the rise in the digital age, solutions must be cost-efficient, fast to implement, and fulfill strict safety and cybersecurity standards. More system integrators, rolling stock manufacturers, and railway operators are opting for a standardized commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) system for a cost-effective and sustainable safety solution.
“With recent railway incidents triggering awareness on safety within the industry, the priority of people’s safety along with protection of the environment has become crucial topics that the authorities want to address,” said Ms. Tracy Lau, HIMA Taiwan branch office manager. “It is our commitment to provide the technological know-how and the best service to customers in Taiwan. The opening of this branch office will ensure they will receive it.”
HIMA has nearly 1,000 railway safety installations in more than 30 countries, with applications ranging from interlocking, level crossing, and rolling stock across high-speed rail, mainline rail, metro, and light rail, using the game-changing commercial-off-the-shelf COTS safety controllers developed by HIMA.
These open safety controllers enable any system integrator to integrate into their safety solutions, and end customers to be independent of providers, yet meeting strict safety standards in the rail industry. HIMA controllers can be easily installed, quickly supplied with spare parts, and comply with the strict SIL 4 standard in accordance with CENELEC.
Presence in Taiwan
Despite the opening of their latest branch office, HIMA is not new to Taiwan, having previously replaced existing relay systems with HIMA SIL4 COTS among railway systems within Taiwan.
In doing so, the reliability and availability of the system were further improved, eliminating the constant train delay that was caused by the failure of the existing relay system. Elsewhere, HIMA also lists the LNG, refinery, petrochemical process, and power plant industries as areas where their expertise can improve functional safety within Taiwan.
“Our company’s priority in the rapidly developing Asia Pacific region is to offer tailor-made solutions and services that address the safety challenges specific to the market and cater to the unique requirements of our customers,” said Mr. Best. “Our local presence here in Taiwan will allow us to offer advanced safety knowledge and technical services, safeguarding individuals, enterprises, and the environment.”
