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HED Intelligent Vehicle Controls

Who We Are

Read about our company and stories about our team, their passions and what they love about working at HED.

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Our Story

Located in Hartford, Wisconsin USA, we are a leading designer and manufacturer of electronic control solutions for mobile equipment applications.

Incorporated in 1986 and privately held, the company maintains a broad, comprehensive line of control products to meet the growing and changing needs of vehicle OEMs in the markets we serve. Whether a simple on-off control for a hydraulic valve, or a complex distributed intelligence system for total machine control and monitoring, our mission is to help vehicle designers engineer optimized solutions to challenging vehicle control applications.

Our comprehensive array of products and software include:

  • Electronic Control Modules
  • CAN Bus Displays
  • CAN Keypads
  • Telematics
  • Software Tools
  • Cameras

We operate as an extension to your engineering department. Our Sales and Application Engineering teams lead you through the process of defining and implementing the optimal control solution. The result is a superior vehicle without complex wiring or conduit. We help you achieve the following:

  • Improved vehicle performance: Intelligent controls and versatile application software integrate multiple machine functions to address complex tasks.
  • Reduced time to market: APQP-based New Product Development (NPD) process means faster prototypes and production vehicles.
  • Ruggedized hardware design: Proven components stand up to vibration, moisture and harsh environments.
  • Lower system cost: Simplify design, cut hardware development and production costs. Multiplexing minimizes complex wiring harnesses.

Our highly trained workforce assembles our products in our new 22,000 sq. ft. ESD controlled facility. We utilize a cell-based assembly environment with full lot and component traceability, and 100% functional testing to all products. Our flexible manufacturing practices mean quick responses to your changing production and product development needs. Products under development are subject to extensive qualification testing to industry standards.

View our ISO 9001:2015 certificate

 

 

Our Mission

To provide intelligent vehicle control and monitoring solutions to on and off-highway markets, enabling a better, safer, connected world.

We provide leading-edge rugged electronic control solutions, specializing in on-vehicle applications, serving a global customer base. Our solutions reduce cost of ownership; improve productivity, safety and connectivity; expand functionality and simplify ease-of-use.

We achieve this by applying our technical abilities to partner with our customers and suppliers to rapidly create optimized control solutions using our broad standard product offering, customization capabilities & user-friendly programming tools, and utilizing a predictable, structured development process.

Our efforts will create long-term mutually successful relationships with our customers, a vibrant and rewarding work environment for our employees and healthy financial returns for all stakeholders.

 

Our Core Values

Customer Focus | We are passionate about customer satisfaction and delivering on our promises.

Commitment to Quality | We provide the highest quality products and services via continuous improvement.

Integrity | We are transparent, ethical, honest, and act with virtue internally and externally.

Empathy | We show respect, concern and understanding toward the well-being of others.

Innovation | With velocity, we bring creative and differentiated solutions to customer challenges.

Accountability | We take responsibility to deliver on our commitments to customers and to each other in a fiscally responsible manner.

Teamwork | We help each other and the company to reach full potential.

 

Leadership Team

Paul Ludwig

President & CEO

Paul joined HED in 2008. He has over 25 years of leadership experience in the electronics and semiconductor industries at both private and publicly held companies. Prior to HED,Paul was the CEO of Acumium LLC (Madison, WI), a developer of web content management systems; President at Advanced Photonix (Ann Arbor, MI) a publicly-held custom optoelectronics company; President and co-owner at Silicon Sensors (Dodgeville, WI), also a custom optoelectronics company; and he held various roles in sales, marketing and business development at Honeywell International. Paul has a BSEE from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Northwestern University (Kellogg School of Management)

Matthew Via

VP of Sales & Marketing

Matthew comes to HED from a 14-year career with Sensata Technologies Inc. with various sales and marketing roles of increasing responsibility.  Most recently Matthew served as the Director of Market & Business Development and brings experience with IOT and Heavy Vehicle and Off-Road customers in the ag, construction, and commercial vehicle markets.  Matthew holds an AAS in Fluid Power Technology, a BS in Marketing & Management, and a Business Marketing Strategy Certificate from Northwestern Kellogg School of Management.

 

Tim Erickson

VP of Engineering

Tim Erickson was named VP of Engineering for HED in September 2017 and joined the company following a nine year career with Eaton’s Power Systems Division in Waukesha, WI where he led Engineer-to-Order, New Product Development, Design Automation Systems, and the Materials Development & Power Testing Labs.  Prior to Eaton, Tim had a successful 23 year career with Honeywell International progressing from the engineering ranks holding leadership positions in Design Engineering, Program Management, Technology Management, and Engineering Systems & Services. He participated in the Corporate Technology Council, Mergers & Acquisitions, Intellectual Property, Product Safety, Six Sigma & Design for Six Sigma, Workforce Development and Quality.  Tim holds an AAS in Electronics Technology and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Tom Szewczyk

VP of Operations

Tom leads our operations, assembly and quality assurance teams. He joined HED in 2007 and is an accomplished operations executive with over 20 years of experience in world-class manufacturing and international sourcing.  Tom has held prior operations leadership positions at Xymox Technologies (Milwaukee, WI), MTI Electronics (Menomonee Falls, WI) and Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee, WI).  He holds a BBA from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh.

Carrie Newman

Director of Administration

Carrie has over 20 years of service at HED.  She oversees all HR, Administrative and Finance functions including employee development and outside contractors.  She holds a Bachelors of Administration in Accounting from Silver Lake College (Manitowoc, WI).  Carrie serves on the board of directors for the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, and was Chamber President from 2008-2009.