(Yicai Global) Dec. 14 -- Europe's largest industrial manufacturing company Siemens AG [ETR:SIE] inaugurated its first Chinese rail traffic signal innovation center in Fuzhou, capital of South China's Fujian province. The center will go into operation early next year, German conglomerate said on Dec. 12. The center will introduce Siemens' state-of-the-art railway signal technologies to China, and localize them in line with the market conditions and characteristics. 

"Fuzhou Siemens Mass Transit Signaling Innovation R&D Center (Fuzhou R&D center) will introduce the most advanced technologies in mass transit signaling area, and focus on innovation that meets local needs," the company said.

The innovation center in Fuzhou will be tasked with global research and development (R&D) operations. R&D projects at the center will focus on the unmanned rail signal technology, the mainline and subway mixed-signal technology, MindSphere cloud-based open-source Internet of Things (IOT) operating system and Big Data applications in transportation services, it added.

"As Siemens' first R&D base set up in China to focus on mass transit signaling, the Fuzhou R&D Center will better serve the local market demand with digital innovation, contributing to China's goal of building up a modern and integrated transportation system and facilitating increased inter-connectivity under the Belt & Road Initiative," said Lothar Herrmann, CEO of Siemens Greater China.

Fuzhou's Metro Line 1 and Line 2 that is now under construction are both equipped with Siemens' signaling systems. Siemens has been enhancing its R&D efforts in China. By fiscal year 2017, Siemens had around 12,000 active patents and patent applications, 21 R&D centers and more than 4,500 R&D and engineering staff in China, the company revealed.