Daniel Åkerström

- A classmate of mine who had a summer job at Huddig as a drafting assistant called me when they needed reinforcements in the design department. As a drafting assistant, the main tasks were to make changes to the drawings, for example to move a hole for cabling on a drawing so that it did not have to be made in production. This was in 2000.

Daniel has had a keen interest in electricity and electronics since childhood. When he was asked by the then design manager Kjell-Åke Bodell to start working on the electronic systems HUDDIG, he eagerly accepted.  

– The electrical system needed to be reviewed in order to create a drying interval for the windshield wipers. In other words, intermittent wipers that do not run continuously but at certain intervals, for example every ten seconds. At that time, Kjell Åke was the only one working with electrical systems, so it was a great honor to learn from the "forefather of theHUDDIG machine."

Daniel's next project was to design and implement a new control system in the then current model HUDDIG , together with the design team. Software was also to be added to the machine. Since then, Daniel has worked mainly with electrical systems and software for all subsequent models.

- In addition to the electrical system and software, there will of course be a lot of mechanics and hydraulics as well. I need to keep track of the 3D model, and know exactly where and how the control system controls a valve for the hydraulics, so everything is connected.

A strong memory for Daniel is the C series, which was a huge technological leap forward and shift in HUDDIG. Two machines, HUDDIG and HUDDIG , were combined into one.

- We took the best from the 860 and 1160 valves and made a common hydraulic system, to put it simply. This in turn generated 1700 new part numbers, and several components were removed on that series. It is, besides TIGON, one of the biggest shifts we have made. The gains are great when we develop new models, because we always save the best in each model. We've done everything from the C series, which involved big changes, to small ones. Another example was when we went from 300 switching points to 200. Suddenly you have 100 fewer places where oil could leak. This is made possible by a design change, such as including some equipment as standard with a tight coupling.

Curiosity and collaborating with colleagues are two strong drivers for Daniel. A successful example of this is when RCI, the measurement system for railways, became a requirement. It was introduced to make it impossible for the machine to tip when the operator is working off the track.

HUDDIG were already equipped with the hardware, so we could build such a system by updating the software. This gave HUDDIG a head start, while we felt we were providing good service—a win-win situation, in short. The more knowledge we have in the company, the greater the chance that we can do things like this, even in the future.

From 2005 to 2015, with some exceptions, Daniel was alone in making software. Now he has two colleagues in Fabian and Emil. The term mechatronics is something that more and more people are familiar with given the fact that hydraulic functions are being replaced by electrically controlled, software-controlled solutions.

- You need to know how electrical systems and software work - basic knowledge is important, but being curious about technology, wanting to learn more and socially fitting into the group is key. We are building teams and need team players who want to develop together. It's a great time now that I have my competent and fun colleagues to chat with. We come up with such fantastic solutions together," concludes Daniel.

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