About the Customer
When it comes to fleet strategies and industry-specific cargo management, efficiency is a prerequisite for success. A leading U.S.-based OEM of walk-in vans and truck bodies recognized this reality. As a premier cargo van upfitter and after-market service provider, this OEM is renowned for delivering highly customized vehicles.
This company also built its reputation on providing rugged, reliable work vehicles that allow fleets to operate at peak performance. However, as vehicle complexity increased, the manufacturer found that traditional electrical architectures were reaching a breaking point and threatening the reliability the brand promises.
The Challenge
As the OEM integrated more advanced features into its walk-in vans, the conventional wire harnesses became increasingly over-capacitated. The company was running out of physical space. Nowhere was this more evident than in the B pillar, a vertical structural support between the front doors and cargo area. This pillar lacked the volume required to comfortably house an extended wire harness.
This congestion led to wire chafing, causing severe quality bottlenecks. With over-capacitated wire harnesses and a general lack of space, the company experienced an inordinate number of assembly-line errors and costly warranty claims. Beyond the financial impact, vehicle downtime for end users became an unacceptable outcome in a productivity-driven industry. The OEM needed a way to simplify its architecture without sacrificing the advanced functionality its customers demanded.
The Solution
What followed was a cold call that set the solution in motion. HED led a discovery process that revealed the OEM’s high warranty claims were merely a symptom of an outdated wiring philosophy. Rather than treating individual failures, the team focused on rethinking the architecture itself.
The solution was a shift to a distributed system that divided lower-output control from upper-output control while enabling device communication over a CAN bus. This radical simplification transformed the B pillar wiring from a bundle of 30 to 40 wires down to just four. To further streamline the cab, HED replaced a cluttered array of mechanical switches with standardized, intelligent keypads.
The Results
By partnering with HED to implement a single-source control solution, the OEM transformed its wiring architecture. The most immediate impact was on the production floor, where assembly time accelerated significantly, increasing throughput. The simplified architecture allowed the OEM to apply lean manufacturing and Poka-Yoke concepts, significantly reducing assembly errors caused by complex wiring.
The quantitative and qualitative benefits include:
- Zero wiring warranty claims: The new distributed system eliminated the chafing and routing issues that previously drove warranty costs.
- Enhanced reliability: Software-controlled diagnostics enable rapid troubleshooting, and automated logic ensures lights turn off based on vehicle status, reducing the risk of dead batteries.
- Improved driver experience: New features, such as status-dependent lighting and cargo-area controls, have increased driver productivity and safety.
By moving to an HED intelligent system, this OEM didn’t just fix a wiring problem — it created a scalable, high-reliability platform that ensures its vehicles remain the smartest, most dependable tools on the road.
Interested in seeing how HED can help you? Contact us and let’s find out together.