About the Customer
This customer is a U.S.-based leading OEM of agricultural and construction equipment. The organization designs, manufactures, and supports construction and agricultural equipment, such as loaders, trenchers, grinders, balers, and more.
The Challenge
The OEM sought a display solution to provide better operator control for a smaller, stand-on piece of landscaping equipment. The space restrictions meant adding controls would be a challenging task.
With the understanding that OEMs and engineers often struggle between the competing demands of features and cost, HED identified space and price as the two major concerns for this compact piece of equipment. The company hoped to implement intelligent controls on this smaller, more cost-sensitive model, but it wasn’t clear how to achieve this goal.
Traditional setups typically require a separate display and a separate input/output (I/O) module, which requires space in two different vehicle locations and can be more costly than an integrated solution. The OEM was looking for a partner that could solve these twin issues of space and cost.
The Solution
The HED team first met with engineers from this OEM at a trade show. After discussion and gaining a better understanding of the issues they were facing, the HED team proposed a single-display solution with integrated, high-density I/O that supports all machine inputs and outputs for proportional control of hydraulics. HED leveraged its decades of experience to design a system that met the OEM’s needs without compromise.
HED recognized that the display needed to be rugged and designed for outdoor operating environments. This was particularly important because the vehicle lacks a cab, leaving the display exposed to harsh outdoor weather conditions. That meant durability was as important as space and cost considerations.
But this wasn’t a problem for HED. The proposed solution placed only one device on the vehicle, saving valuable space and reducing overall system costs, while being structurally sound enough to withstand extreme environmental conditions.
By consolidating components, the design simplified the wire harness and reduced the number of connectors, which are a primary failure point — and can also be quite expensive. HED worked side-by-side with the OEM to solve its specific challenges, ultimately delivering hardware that was compatible with the OEM’s internal software development ecosystem, enabling a seamless transition.
The Results
A single-component approach resulted in significant cost savings over a more complex solution. The simplicity and efficient use of space kept the total cost of ownership down while meeting all the OEM’s needs. Furthermore, the unified system improved the operator experience, providing a common look and feel across multiple machine platforms for the customer.
The solution combines the controller, display, and keypad into a single compact module, supported by a commercially available toolset selected and used by the customer. The solution combines all the I/O functions of a control module, the visual indication of several gauges, and the manual functionality typically provided by mechanical switches into a single component. The result: a complete electronic control solution with the implementation of a single display from HED.
The reduction in expensive and failure-prone connectors resulted in long-term reliability and cost benefits, while making the operator’s job more enjoyable. The OEM is confident that operators can now use this equipment more safely and efficiently than ever.
Interested in seeing how HED can help you? Contact us and let’s find out together.