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 great interest in electricity and electronics since childhood. When he was asked by the then design manager Kjell-Åke Bodell to start working with HUDDIG electronic systems, he eagerly accepted.  

- The electrical system needed to be revised to create a wiping interval on the windshield wipers. That is, interval wipers that do not run continuously but at a certain interval, for example every ten seconds. At that time, only Kjell Åke was working with electrical systems, so it was a great honor to learn from the "forefather ofHUDDIG".

Daniel's next project was to design and implement a new control system in the then HUDDIG 860 model, together with the design team. Software would also be introduced to the machine. Since then, Daniel has worked mostly 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 and shift in HUDDIG. Two machines, HUDDIG 1060 and HUDDIG 1260B, 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. Here, HUDDIG were ahead of the game, while we felt we were providing good service - a win-win. The more knowledge we have in the company, the more likely it is that we can do such things, also 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 fitting in socially with the team 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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