Hitachi Rail has completed its acquisition of Clever Devices, a US leader in intelligent public transport technology, in a move that deepens the Japanese rail giant’s roots in Tuscany. The deal brings Maior, Clever Devices’ Italian subsidiary based in Florence and Lucca, into the Hitachi Rail group, reinforcing a Tuscan presence that already includes the company’s main Italian manufacturing plant in Pistoia.
Maior employs around 75 people and specialises in software for planning and optimising public transport services, technology that today serves 8 of the top 10 North American transit operators. Its integration into Hitachi Rail’s HMAX Mobility platform extends the group’s capabilities beyond rail into buses, trams and multimodal transport systems, a strategic step as cities worldwide look to digitise and connect their transport networks.
Globally, Clever Devices employs more than 600 people and is expected to generate over $220 million in revenue in 2026, underlining the scale of the technology now flowing through Hitachi Rail’s Tuscan operations. The acquisition strengthens the group’s international footprint, linking Tuscany to markets as far-reaching as Brazil, Chile and the United States.
Commenting on the acquisition, Giuseppe Marino, Group CEO of Hitachi Rail, said the deal brings Clever Devices’ technology into the HMAX Mobility platform, extending the group’s reach beyond rail into buses, trams and multimodal transport systems, while strengthening its footprint from Tuscany to Brazil, Chile and the United States.
The acquisition adds to a growing list of international players choosing Tuscany not just as a manufacturing base but as a hub for digital innovation in mobility, reinforcing the region’s role in an industry increasingly defined by software as much as hardware.