Hitachi's Hubballi-Dharwad Hub: A New Global Development Centre

Hitachi Construction Machinery, the Japanese manufacturing major, has announced plans to establish a Global Development Centre in Hubballi–Dharwad, Karnataka, aiming to generate employment for 200 engineers by 2027.

The decision to select Dharwad over competing global locations, including Southeast Asia, highlights the region’s growing strategic value in Hitachi’s global operations. The announcement followed a meeting in Tokyo between Hitachi executives and a Karnataka government delegation led by Industries Minister M. B. Patil.

The Dharwad unit has already emerged as a key export base, serving markets in West Asia, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The state government emphasized Karnataka’s pro-investment policies and outlined benefits under the new Industrial Policy, which incentivizes the co-location of R&D and manufacturing.

Hitachi’s latest investment is expected to further position Dharwad as a global engineering and innovation hub, bolstering both domestic capabilities and export competitiveness, while aligning with Karnataka’s broader industrial development vision.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.