GlobalLogic and Flexware Innovation Announce Major Deployment of LIFT at Hitachi Rail’s State-of-the-Art Train Manufacturing Facility

SANTA CLARA, September 10, 2025 – (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) – GlobalLogic Inc., a Hitachi Group Company and leader in digital engineering, and Flexware Innovation, now part of the Hitachi Group, today announced the deployment of Flexware Innovation’s LIFT intralogistics software at Hitachi Rail’s new, state of-the-art train manufacturing facility in Hagerstown, Maryland. LIFT 3.0, Flexware’s first fully developed standalone product, developed in partnership with GlobalLogic and its strategic design arm, Method, was initially announced in May and is now set to transform material movement and address complex orchestration challenges within Hitachi Rail’s advanced industrial environment.

As U.S. manufacturing undergoes a much-needed transformation, the focus has largely been on rapidly deploying robots and AI to meet the demands of reshoring and modern production. Despite this surge in adoption (41% of supply chain leaders have implemented robotics and automation, with another 42% planning to in the next five years, according to MHI), a critical, often unseen, issue remains: these technologies often don’t communicate with each other. The resulting fragmentation creates interoperability gaps, orchestration challenges, safety concerns, and stalled efficiency gains. LIFT 3.0 directly addresses this fundamental challenge, enabling seamless integration across complex manufacturing environments like Hitachi Rail’s highly digitalized factory, which features over $30 million in digital enhancements, including the very latest additive manufacturing tech and AI robots.

Built by Hitachi Rail, with expertise from Hitachi Digital, GlobalLogic, and Hitachi Digital Services, the Maryland facility brings Physical AI to life and drives operational excellence through Digital Kaizen – a process of continuous improvement through iterative changes, which underlines a ‘One Hitachi’ initiative that leverages the collective strength and unique power of the Hitachi Group.

At Hitachi Rail’s Hagerstown facility, LIFT is specifically deployed to orchestrate the movement of materials from the warehouse to numerous shop floor work cells using automated guided vehicles (AGVs). To achieve this, LIFT is integrated with Hitachi Rail’s warehouse management system (WMS) and the AGV fleet management system (FMS), enabling it to receive incoming material request calls, dispatch missions to the AGV system, and report status back to the WMS upon completion. LIFT is also being used to monitor system activity and handle any exceptions or alerts that occur during this process.

GlobalLogic played a critical role in strengthening the performance, reliability, and user experience of LIFT 3.0. GlobalLogic’s engineering team created a more intuitive user experience, while a robust QA strategy, which combines manual and automated testing, boosted reliability, minimized errors, and ensured production-grade stability. Together, along with the systematic approach from Method, these contributions helped transform LIFT 3.0 into a powerful, enterprise-ready solution.

LIFT is a system-agnostic intralogistics software platform that acts as the invisible fabric connecting disparate technologies across the factory floor—PLC, SCADA, ERP, MES, WMS, and more. Designed to support the digital transformation journeys of manufacturing and warehousing organizations, the platform is the foundational solution that will help manufacturers break down silos, enhance safety, and accelerate the modernization of U.S. industrial operations. LIFT will provide the critical orchestration layer for Hitachi Rail’s new 300,000 sq. ft. facility, designed to deliver up to 20 railcars per month.

“Today’s manufacturing and warehousing environments rely on a mix of everything from legacy software to forklifts to next-gen robots, but those systems rarely communicate effectively. This creates not just integration issues, but worker safety issues,” says Scott Whitlock, Founder and Advisor, Flexware Innovation. “LIFT’s selection by Hitachi Rail for their new Maryland facility is a powerful validation of its ability to enable the next generation of smart manufacturing.”

Key features of LIFT 3.0 include:
– Centralized Multi-Agent Orchestration: Seamlessly coordinates autonomous vehicles, conveyors, elevators, IoT devices, and other automation systems.
– Robust Integration Framework: Supports OPCUA, MQTT, FMSs, ERPs, WMSs, and other customized integrations, enabling interoperability with leading automation systems.
– Flow-based Configuration: Provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface for designing advanced automation rules with conditional logic.
– Advanced User Management: Role-based access controls, SSO support, and multi-factor authentication for secure operations
– Airgapped Installation Support and Licensing: Easy-to-install system that supports entirely on-prem installs in air-gapped operations, data management, and self-service centralized license management.

“The narrative that manufacturing is a digital laggard is rapidly being rewritten,” says Srini Shankar, CEO, GlobalLogic. “LIFT is a testament to this shift, enabling manufacturers to move quicker, smarter, and more efficiently than ever before to meet today’s demands. Its role in a cutting-edge facility like Hitachi Rail’s new Maryland plant underscores the real-world impact of true digital integration and the growing demand for advanced intralogistics solutions.”

For more information, please visit www.globallogic.com.

About Flexware Innovation

Flexware Innovation is a systems integrator and engineering firm serving some of the world’s largest, most regulated manufacturers in life sciences, food and beverage, chemicals, consumer packaged goods, specialty metals, water and wastewater, and automotive. The company solves manufacturing challenges through best-in-class software development, automation engineering, manufacturing systems integration (MES, HMI/SCADA, and ERP), business intelligence solutions, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and specialized product development. For more information,visit www.flexwareinnovation.com.

About GlobalLogic

GlobalLogic (www.globallogic.com), a Hitachi Group Company, is a leading digital engineering partner that helps the world’s most forward-thinking companies design and build innovative, AI-powered products, platforms, and digital experiences. Since 2000, we’ve been at the forefront of the digital revolution, now accelerating clients’ transitions into tomorrow’s AI-driven businesses by integrating experience design, complex engineering, AI, and data expertise. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, GlobalLogic is a Hitachi Group Company operating under Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501),which contributes to a sustainable society with a higher quality of life by driving innovation through AI and technologyas the Social Innovation Business.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Through its Social Innovation Business (SIB) that brings together IT, OT(Operational Technology) and products, Hitachi contributes to a harmonized society where the environment, wellbeing, and economic growth are in balance. Hitachi operates globally in four sectors – Digital Systems & Services, Energy, Mobility, and Connective Industries –and the Strategic SIB Business Unit for new growth businesses. With Lumada at its core, Hitachi generates value from integrating data, technology and domain knowledge to solve customer and social challenges. Revenues for FY2024(ended March 31, 2025) totaled 9,783.3 billion yen, with 618 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 280,000 employees worldwide. Visit us at www.hitachi.com.

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