Beijer Electronics Drives Platform Transformation to Target Global Maritime and Edge Computing Markets

(Ping Huang, APAC Senior Director of Beijer Electronics, notes that the company is transforming from a single-device supplier to an integrated hardware & software ecosystem, with the maritime market leading the way.)

With automation equipment rapidly moving toward remote and intelligent operations, the demand for edge computing, cybersecurity compliance, and long-term maintenance is rising, while enhancing software flexibility and hardware performance has become a shared challenge across industries. In response, Beijer Electronics has launched a structured transformation through its new X3 series smart HMIs, featuring the OS3 operating system and the latest iX3 application software, creating an intelligent platform that supports control, monitoring, remote maintenance, and security management. Transitioning from a single-device supplier to an integrated hardware and software industrial ecosystem provider, the company is already seeing tangible results in its maritime market, its strongest segment, validating the advantages of this transformation and marking an important milestone in its next phase of development, according to Ping Huang, APAC Senior Sales Director of Beijer Electronics.

Ping Huang explained that the company is shifting from a hardware-oriented approach to a software-ecosystem-centered architecture. While Beijer Electronics previously focused on HMIs (Human-Machine Interfaces) and industrial control devices, hardware is now positioned as a “carrier” for applications, with the new X3 series serving as the starting point for the company’s platform strategy. X3 is no longer a single-function device but resembles a sustainably expandable smartphone, with its true value deriving from the software ecosystem.

To drive this transformation, Beijer Electronics has launched the new iX3 software alongside the X3 smart HMIs, forming a complete X3 + iX3 platform. The iX3 software introduces a Marketplace concept, similar to mobile app platforms, allowing users to install and manage multiple applications directly on the X3. With greatly upgraded performance and capacity, X3 leverages Docker container technology to run multiple software simultaneously, including iX as HMI software, CloudVPN for remote maintenance, WebIQ as a web-based dashboard, and BCS Tools (CODESYS) for PLC control. This enables a single X3 device to fulfill control, monitoring, and management functions simultaneously.

Beijer Electronics adopts an open strategy in its platform design: iX software is not tied to proprietary hardware and can support HMI devices from major automation vendors as well as various x86 platforms, highlighting the company’s transition from a device supplier to a cross-platform software and edge platform provider. Under the X3 + iX3 architecture, Beijer’s HMIs become next-generation automation system platforms with control, visualization, monitoring, and remote maintenance capabilities, replacing previously multi-device setups. By modularizing and independently operating applications, deployments are now more flexible than ever, whether for local control, cloud connection, or cross-site collaboration. Ping Huang emphasized that through value-driven differentiation, standardized software, and customized integration services, customers can optimize their operations to fit their processes. This flexibility and integration capability are especially evident in the maritime sector, where extreme environmental conditions and high system stability requirements make the platform’s advantages clear.

Strengthening Maritime Focus on Taiwan’s Yacht Applications

Beijer Electronics has been deeply involved in the maritime sector for over 40 years, with its marine-grade HMIs widely used across various types of vessels. Ping Huang points out that the maritime environment poses unique challenges, including temperature, humidity, salt spray, vibration, operational safety during navigation, cybersecurity risks, and maintenance visibility. HMIs deployed on vessels must therefore combine stability, cybersecurity protection, remote management, and reliable continuous operation. Beijer Electronics’ new X3 series, featuring the OS3 platform and container technology, has attracted significant market attention by upgrading HMIs from simple displays to edge computing platforms that integrate control, monitoring, web-based dashboards, and CloudVPN remote maintenance, enabling shipyards to achieve higher efficiency in cybersecurity compliance, fault reduction, system integration, and lifecycle maintenance. The X3 Extreme model, with a wide operating temperature range of –40°C to 80°C, approaches military-grade specifications, allowing long-term deployment in harsh environments.

Since the official launch of the X3 series in 2024, Hyundai Heavy Industries, South Korea’s largest shipbuilding group, was the first to adopt the platform, followed by other major South Korean, Japanese, and Chinese shipbuilders. In Taiwan, Beijer Electronics is focusing on yachts, watercraft, and new energy vessels. Taiwan, as a global hub for yacht manufacturing with a complete local supply chain and highly customizable production, represents a key market for X3’s high-end maritime applications. To strengthen local engagement, Beijer Electronics has joined the Taiwan Yacht Association and partnered with multiple system integrators to implement X3’s control, monitoring, and remote maintenance functions on yachts, new energy vessels, and small workboats. Some projects have already completed prototype trials and are entering production planning. Ping Huang notes that Taiwan is one of the few APAC markets where Beijer Electronics can simultaneously conduct R&D, validation, and production, making it a critical hub for maritime applications in the region. The company plans to further enhance maritime R&D and marketing, actively participating in international exhibitions such as SEA JAPAN 2026 and Singapore APM, while expanding its ecosystem and partner network through local industry associations and the Kaohsiung Yacht Show.

Looking ahead, the unmanned vessels and homeland security monitoring will be the next focus areas. Beijer Electronics is collaborating with partners to develop unmanned vessels, with X3 series HMIs meeting the requirements for remote management, high-reliability control, cybersecurity, and classification standards. In homeland security monitoring, the company has assisted system integrators in Taitung and Hualien to establish landslide monitoring systems using WebIQ and CloudVPN for remote monitoring and automatic alerts.

Ping Huang emphasizes that the launch of X3 and OS3 marks Beijer Electronics’ transition from a pure hardware supplier to an integrated hardware-software industrial platform provider. The maritime market serves as the primary validation field for this strategy, while yachts, new energy vessels, unmanned platforms, energy management, and public safety applications are expected to drive the next phase of growth. With expanding application software, mature containerized deployment, and cross-platform flexibility, Beijer Electronics’ platform ecosystem is gradually taking shape, shifting from product value to system value and establishing long-term differentiated competitiveness in the global maritime and edge computing markets.

(Source from DIGITIMES: Click)