HIMA Opens New Perth Regional Headquarters to Strengthen Safety Automation in Australia and New Zeal
Time:2026-09-10 Browse: 0
September 2026 — Industrial Automation News
HIMA has expanded its presence in Australia and New Zealand with the official opening of a new regional headquarters in Perth. The facility represents another step in the company's long-term investment in safety-related automation, engineering services and digital solutions for process and critical infrastructure industries.
The new location is particularly relevant to the industrial automation sector because Perth is closely connected to Australia's mining, oil and gas, energy and resources industries. These sectors depend heavily on reliable control systems, functional safety technologies and protection systems designed to keep people, equipment and production assets safe.
The expansion also highlights a broader trend in industrial automation: as industrial facilities become more digital and connected, customers are increasingly looking for local engineering support that combines automation, functional safety, cybersecurity and lifecycle services.
A Strategic Location for Industrial Automation
Perth is an important industrial center in Australia, particularly for the resources sector.
Mining, LNG, oil and gas and other energy-related industries operate complex facilities that require highly reliable automation and safety systems. These environments can include hazardous processes, large-scale equipment and geographically distributed operations.
For these applications, automation is not only about increasing production efficiency.
Safety is equally important.
Industrial facilities often use safety instrumented systems, emergency shutdown systems, burner management systems and other dedicated protection technologies to reduce risk during abnormal operating conditions.
The new HIMA regional headquarters is designed to strengthen the company's ability to support these customers locally.
Rather than relying entirely on remote support, a larger regional organization can provide engineering, testing, training, consulting and lifecycle services closer to customers.
This can be particularly valuable for large industrial projects where technical communication and response time have a direct impact on project schedules.
Expanding Engineering and Customer Support
HIMA Australia was established in 2003 and has developed into the company's regional organization for Australia and New Zealand.
The new facility represents an expansion of that regional role.
The location includes engineering and training areas, customer demonstration facilities, functional acceptance testing capabilities and collaboration spaces.
These functions are important in safety-related automation because industrial customers often need to verify systems before they are deployed in the field.
Functional Acceptance Testing, for example, allows engineering teams and customers to test system behavior against predefined requirements before equipment is delivered or commissioned.
This can help identify problems earlier in the project lifecycle.
For automation engineers, testing is especially important when systems are associated with safety functions. A problem in a standard production control system may reduce efficiency, but an error in a safety system can have much more serious consequences.
Functional Safety Is Becoming More Integrated with Digitalization
The industrial safety market is also changing.
Historically, functional safety and digital transformation were often treated as separate subjects.
Today, that distinction is becoming less practical.
Industrial facilities increasingly rely on digital systems for monitoring, diagnostics, maintenance and asset management. Safety systems must operate within this increasingly connected environment while maintaining their independence and integrity.
This creates new requirements for engineers.
They need to understand not only safety standards and control logic but also industrial networks, cybersecurity, data management and lifecycle management.
The HIMA facility is intended to support this broader approach by bringing together functional safety, OT cybersecurity and digital lifecycle solutions.
Safety Automation in Oil and Gas
Oil and gas remain important markets for safety-related automation.
Processes involving hydrocarbons can operate under high pressure and temperature, and many facilities contain flammable or hazardous materials.
Safety instrumented systems can be used to detect dangerous conditions and initiate predefined protective actions.
Examples include emergency shutdown functions, pressure protection, burner management and turbomachinery protection.
The reliability of these systems is critical.
A modern safety automation strategy therefore requires careful engineering from the initial hazard analysis through system design, testing, commissioning and ongoing maintenance.
The expansion of local engineering capabilities in Perth could help industrial operators access this expertise more easily.
Mining Creates New Automation Requirements
Australia's mining sector also presents unique automation challenges.
Mining operations may be spread across large geographical areas and can involve crushers, conveyors, pumps, processing equipment and other heavy machinery.
Automation helps coordinate these systems, improve production efficiency and reduce exposure of workers to hazardous environments.
However, safety remains a major consideration.
Functional safety systems can work alongside conventional PLC and DCS platforms to provide independent protective functions.
For example, a production PLC may control normal operating sequences while a dedicated safety system monitors predefined dangerous conditions and initiates a safe shutdown when necessary.
This separation between basic process control and safety functions is an important principle in many industrial applications.
Digital Safety and OT Cybersecurity
Another important area highlighted by HIMA's regional expansion is OT cybersecurity.
Industrial cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important as more control systems are connected to industrial networks and remote services.
Safety systems cannot simply be treated like conventional IT systems because they interact directly with physical processes.
Cybersecurity failures can potentially affect equipment availability, production continuity and even physical safety.
For this reason, modern automation projects increasingly need to consider cybersecurity throughout the entire lifecycle.
This includes secure system architecture, access management, network segmentation, vulnerability management, monitoring and maintenance.
The relationship between functional safety and cybersecurity is also becoming increasingly important.
A cyber incident that affects a control system may create conditions that require safety functions to respond.
Therefore, safety engineers and cybersecurity specialists increasingly need to work together.
Training Becomes More Important as Automation Evolves
The industrial automation industry is facing another challenge: the shortage of experienced technical personnel.
Many experienced automation engineers are approaching retirement, while modern automation systems are becoming more complex.
Training therefore plays a significant role in maintaining industrial reliability.
A regional facility with dedicated training capabilities can help customers develop engineering skills without requiring personnel to travel internationally.
Training can cover system engineering, safety lifecycle management, maintenance, diagnostics and other areas relevant to industrial automation.
For companies operating large facilities, investing in automation knowledge can be just as important as purchasing new equipment.
Lifecycle Support Is Becoming a Competitive Factor
Industrial automation equipment is rarely purchased as a standalone product.
Customers typically expect equipment to operate for many years.
This means suppliers increasingly need to support customers throughout the lifecycle of the system.
The lifecycle can include engineering, procurement, commissioning, training, maintenance, upgrades, troubleshooting and eventual migration.
For safety systems, lifecycle management is particularly important because periodic testing and maintenance may be necessary to maintain system performance.
The development in Perth therefore reflects a broader movement in the automation industry from equipment-focused sales toward long-term technical partnerships.
Why This Matters for the Global Automation Market
Although the new headquarters is located in Australia, the development reflects trends that can be seen across the global automation market.
Industrial customers increasingly want suppliers that can provide more than hardware.
They want engineering knowledge, local support, safety expertise, cybersecurity capabilities and lifecycle services.
This is particularly important in industries where downtime is expensive and safety requirements are strict.
For distributors and system integrators, this trend creates opportunities to provide higher-value services around PLCs, DCS platforms, safety controllers, industrial networks and field devices.
The Future of Safety-Related Automation
Industrial automation is entering an era in which safety, cybersecurity and digitalization are becoming increasingly interconnected.
A modern industrial facility may need conventional PLC control, DCS process control, safety instrumented systems, industrial networking, remote monitoring and cybersecurity protection at the same time.
The challenge is making these technologies work together without compromising reliability or safety.
HIMA's investment in its Australia and New Zealand operations demonstrates the continuing importance of local technical expertise in this environment.
For industries such as oil and gas, mining, LNG, energy and rail, safety automation will remain a critical part of digital transformation.
The future will not simply be about making industrial processes more automated.
It will be about making them safer, more connected, easier to maintain and more resilient throughout their operating lifecycle.
The expansion of regional engineering capabilities is therefore likely to remain an important part of the global industrial automation market.
