The HIMA Group, a safety related automation solutions provider, recorded exceptional growth of incoming orders in 2022, witnessing an 18 per cent increase in incoming orders. The company expects further growth in 2023 through digitalisation, internationalisation, and expansion of partnerships. Jorg de la Motte, CEO of HIMA Group said: The HIMA Group had a great year in 2022. With the acquisition of Sella Controls, we have also embarked on a new chapter for international growth in the railway technology sector. Demand in HIMA's core markets had a positive trend overall. The breakdown of sales by region is as follows: Europe (59 per cent), Middle East (12 per cent), Asia (20 per cent), Americas and cross-regional projects (9 per cent). The order base also developed favourably, with the order backlog climbing by 38 per cent compared to 2021. Dr. Michael Löbig , CFO of HIMA Group said: We seamlessly managed fiscal year 2022 despite of many challenges, and are also feeling positive about the first quarter of 2023 in view of our increasing level of incoming orders. The HIMA Group invested 12 per cent of its sales in research and development in 2022 and has set itself the goal of digitalizing functional safety. The process industries (oil & gas, refineries and chemical industry) remain the largest customer group. The railway technology sector also showed a positive trend. Across all industries, 30 per cent of sales were generated from services and software. The positive customer feedback shows us that we have successfully attained our objectives with our digitalisation strategy #safetygoesdigital, de la Motte said. In addition to further investments in R&D – especially for software and applications – HIMA's priorities in 2023 include internationalisation and the expansion of partnerships. The opening of the new HIMA Security Lab at our Customer Solutions Centre marks another milestone, said de la Motte. Working closely with our partner genua, we offer visitors the opportunity to experience our OT security solutions first hand he added. HIMA is also intensifying its cooperation with global partners for sales, engineering and joint solution development.