Innovation ´ the environment¸s best friend - Haldex

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Customer first 

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Haldex people 

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�� concept is to provide innovative technology 

solutions that improve safety, the environment and vehicle dynamics 

to the global vehicle industry. In this issue of Dynamix, we have chosen 

to explore the topic of the environment. Regardless of different 

opinions on this complex area, there is no doubt that environmental 

issues are the most important facing the world today. In an effort to 

solve these issues, great expectations are placed on the international 

vehicle industry. At Haldex, we take the responsibility of providing our 

customers – and, in turn, their customers – with technology and solutions 

for sustainable environmental development very seriously. 

However, I would like to begin by mentioning a current and highly 

successful example of Haldex’s focus on safety. This past summer, the 

sparc project, an eu-initiated traffic safety project that involved leading 

players in the vehicle industry, reached its conclusion. Haldex’s contribution 

to the project was an excellent example of our emphasis on innovative 

products and solutions. In this case, we developed a brake system 

with Electro Mechanical Brakes (emb) for a combined truck and trailer. 

Last winter, I was in Arjeplog in northern Sweden and had the 

opportunity to test drive a truck that was equipped with this new brake 

system. I drove the truck on a frozen lake with low friction conditions, 

which offered a fantastic experience of shortened braking distances. 

While the 20-ton truck previously required 120 meters of braking distance, 

the new system offered a braking distance of 90 meters – in other 

words, a remarkable difference on an incredibly difficult surface. 

Back to the environment. Haldex works actively to assume our environmental 

responsibility and develop the commercial opportunities 

offered by the environmental field. In several of our markets, environmental 

legislation is becoming more stringent, including limits for 

engine emissions. This has resulted in an increased demand for Alfdex, 

the highly successful crankcase gas cleaning system developed by Haldex 

in close cooperation with Alfa Laval. 

The vehicle industry has shown considerable interest in our new 

technology Varivent, an adjustable pump that recirculates exhaust gases 

in diesel engines and thus reduces emissions of harmful gases. Varivent 

is presently in an evaluation stage and undergoing customer testing, 

but the results look highly promising. 

Haldex’s solutions for exhaust gas recirculation (egr) are highly 

sought-after in the us, but are also used by such European companies 

as Scania and man. egr recirculates 30% of exhaust gases and reduces 

emissions by more than 80%. 

Further on in the magazine, another future product is presented 

– Energy Management Systems (ems). For vehicles that brake frequently, 

ems can help reduce fuel consumption substantially. The 

environment is without a doubt the key issue facing 

the vehicle industry today. Haldex is eager to contribute 

actively to long-term sustainable development 

for the environment through leading 

competence, technology and innovation. 

Joakim Olsson 

Managing Director 

and Group ceo 

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�� pumping 938 million gallons of fuel more annually 

than they were in 1960 as a result of extra weight in vehicles. And when gas 

prices average $3 a gallon, the tab for overweight people in a vehicle amounts to 

$7.7 million a day, or $2.8 billion a year. 

The numbers are added costs linked directly to the extra drain of 

body weight on fuel economy. In a paper published in the journal The 

Engineering Economist, the scientists conclude that each extra pound 

of body weight in all of today’s vehicles results in the need for more 

than 39 million gallons of extra gasoline usage each year. 

“The reason we looked at this issue was that gas prices hit an 

average exceeding $3 per gallon in September 2005,” said Sheldon 

H. Jacobson, director of the simulation and optimization 

laboratory at Illinois. 

In light of the fact that Europe’s waistlines also have expanded 

in the last decades, this source of increased fuel consumption 

can easily be applied to a number of countries. 

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��with an 

electronic awd-system, based on the fourth generation of 

its established Haldex Limited Slip Coupling and the all 

new, evolutionary Haldex electronic Limited Slip Differential 

(Haldex xwd) developed from the Haldex 

product platform of limited slip 

differentials. The system will be a 

feature of the new saab 9-3. 

Employed in conjunction 

with the Haldex coupling, the 

electronically controlled addon 

module integrates in the 

power and control systems 

of the longitudinal device 

thus offering a fl exible and 

cost effective solution for further 

enhanced vehicle dynamics. 

It can be optionally used 

in the vehicle product lines to 

control the side-to-side torque 

distribution and constitutes an effi cient 

alternative relative brake based systems which dissipate 

power for control. The limited weight and size maximizes 

performance with minimal impact on fuel economy. 

The Haldex coupling and Haldex xwd will be manufactured 

and supplied from a new Haldex production facility 

in Irapuato, Mexico. 

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Haldex currently supply three of the major oem groups, 

vw, Ford Motor Company and General Motors with proprietary 

and advanced systems and solutions for awd. 

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www.haldex-traction.com/xwd 

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A yellow and black nameplate marks the presence of one the Maxon’s 

liftgates, ubiquitous on trucks worldwide. Maxon has been the leader in 

the liftgate industry for 50 years, in part because the company goes out 

of its way to provide solutions to customers’ problems. 

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In 1957, just two years after the world famous Disneyland 

amusement park opened in Anaheim, California, 

another iconic name was born 10 miles up the road. 

Maxon Lift Corporation was the brainchild of Max 

trailer bed down to the ground. Originally cranked with 

muscle power, most lifts now use sophisticated hydraulic 

systems to move the platform. This year marks Maxon’s 

50th anniversary, and the company continues to dominate 

Lugash, who developed the world’s first liftgate to fold up the liftgate market, producing a wide variety of liftgates for 

under a truck body. This innovative liftgate is known as the smaller pickups up to the largest trailers. 

�� Tuk-A-Way, and it is still the most popular and best-sell- Today Maxon remains a family company, as are the 

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ing liftgate in the world. Designed to fasten at the rear of 

a truck or trailer, it smoothly lowers a platform from the 

majority of companies in this industry. It is based in Santa 

Fe Springs, in sunny southern California, and the road 

leading to its headquarters has tall, stately palm trees lining 

the center boulevard. Maxon is now headed by a third generation 

of the family and is the largest privately held manufacturer 

of liftgates in the world. The company employs 

about 500 people worldwide, and its customer base 

includes leasing and truck rental companies, overnight 

delivery fleets and the country’s largest corporate trucking 

fleets. Maxon’s yellow and black nameplate can be found 

rolling down just about any street in the United States. 

Always an innovator, Maxon brought the rail style liftgate 

to the u.s. in the 1970s and now produces many specialized 

liftgates to handle unique cargo or to fit one-of-a-kind 

trucks. Its top of the line, and one of the most sophisticated 

liftgates in existence, is the Columnlift, the bmr series that 

this year has begun using a Haldex self-contained power 

unit. Available with either a steel or an aluminum platform 

and made to handle up to 6,600 pounds of cargo, the 

Columnlift features a long list of improvements that have 

made it one of Maxon’s best-selling lifts. 

Maxon stays in the lead in this industry by focusing on 

engineering innovation, often driven by customer requests. 

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The company even has a special order request team that 

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You’re amazed on a day-to-day basis 

how much passion, heart and soul you 

find in our people for this product. 

Anton Griesner 

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develops unique solutions for customers. Joe Aguilera is 

the Maxon purchasing manager. He explains how the company 

developed cart stops to solve an annoying problem for 

some customers. “There are customers, like in the bakery 

industry or pizza delivery business, where they have very 

light carts with a propensity for rolling out, and we provided 

a custom solution to that problem,” he says. 

Engineering support and research and development are 

keys to staying ahead in this very competitive business says 

Sherry Lafferty, Maxon’s engineering manager in its Santa 

Fe Springs Tech Center. She cites improvements such as 

bearings that are manufactured for low maintenance and 

without need for grease and platforms made with aluminum 

extrusions for added strength and less weight. “We’ve 

changed spring sizes, added torsion bars, changed design 

in opener arms,” explains Aguilera. “We’re constantly opti- 

We have very novice users to 

very sophisticated users … so we have 

to make it very user friendly so someone 

who has no experience with the 

gate will be able to operate it properly. 

Joe Aguilera 

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mizing it to make it more robust, more user-friendly, more 

functional.” 

The original Tuk-A-Way liftgate has evolved from its 

original 1957 design into a marvel of modern technology. 

The popular gptlr series has a smooth, level ride from 

truckbed to ground, a roller design to make unfolding 

easier and an exclusive load guidance system. And it’s customizable 

to fit any size truck and application. 

��relationships for Maxon are 

with its distributors across North America. Numbering 

perhaps 200, these companies sell to end users and install 

the liftgates. To keep their distributors/installers up to 

date, Maxon regularly conducts Technical Service Town 

Hall Training sessions at their customers’ facilities. The 

25-strong Maxon sales force offers this complementary 

training to ensure that distributors have the latest instructions 

for installing, operating and maintaining liftgates. In 

addition, Maxon distributors keep spare parts across North 

America, ready for next-day delivery. 

Noting the challenge of satisfying a wide range of customers, 

Aguilera says, “We have very novice users to very 

sophisticated users … so we have to make it very user 

friendly so someone who has no experience with the gate 

will be able to operate it properly.” 

In the technical center a short distance from corporate 

headquarters, designers huddle over computer screens, 

working on new designs and improvements to current lifts. 

And in the testing lab, technicians use advanced computer 

equipment to test lift prototypes for stress and load parameters. 

On this bright summer day in the test facility, tech- 

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nician Nikolay Spassou conducts a load test on a gpt lift. 

The liftgate performs its duty while Spassou monitors the 

results on his computer screen. 

Here in the r & d department Maxon engineers have 

conducted research to support the development of a more 

durable paint finish to resist corrosion, subjecting painted 

surfaces to 5,000 hours of salt-spray abuse. A new challenge 

is the growing use of magnesium chloride by cities 

trying to keep their roads ice-free. The chemical is more 

corrosive to liftgate components, leading Lafferty and her 

team to look at radical improvements in paint, electrical 

and pump seals and control circuits. 

Anton Griesner is the vice president for marketing and 

business development for Maxon. He boasts, “The dedication 

and talent of the people you find at Maxon is astonishing. 

You’re amazed on a day-to-day basis how much 

passion, heart and soul you find in our people for this product.” 

While primarily a North American company, Maxon 

also sells units in Central and South America. Griesner 

points to the newest effort to expand his company’s reach. 

It has received ce certification for sales in Europe, and in 

April of this year the company began shipping liftgates to 

Britain. Maxon sees Europe as a new and exciting market 

for its products. 

Another addition to the Maxon line is a wheelchair lift 

called the Smart Lift. Designed from the ground up to be 

compliant with u.s. federal motor vehicle safety standards, 

it joins a long list of innovations for this company, starting 

with that first Tuk-A-Way in 1957. “We want to stay the No. 

1 liftgate manufacturer,” says Lafferty, “and be the innovator, 

pushing the others.” � 

An uplifting 

cooperation 

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The threat of global warming is being taken very seriously 

by the world’s automakers, who are racing to develop vehicles 

that burn less fuel and create fewer greenhouse gases. 

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“The automotive companies are funding, to the 

tune of billions of dollars, some pretty impressive 

research,” says Mike Millikin, an expert on 

vehicle technology and editor of the on-line news 

site Green Car Congress, based in California. Already, many 

technical advances have been made toward the decarbonization 

of transportation, and promising developments are 

on the horizon. Yet it is still unclear, he says, how consumers 

around the globe will respond to their new options. 

Today, at least 95 percent of the world’s road vehicles run 

on petroleum-based products. Everyone knows the routine: 

You drive till your fuel runs low, then you tank up at a gas 

station. In the future, however, you will likely have many 

more choices. You might plug in your electric car at home. 

You might fill up your tank on fuel made from soybeans. 

You might tap into a natural gas line that runs to your own 

garage, or you might even refuel with hydrogen. 

Engineers have several strategies for making vehicles 

greener, from enhancing the combustion engine using 

regular petroleum-based fuels to using alternative fuels to 

using hybrid technology that reduces the demand on combustion 

engines. 

In Europe, already more than half of all vehicles have diesel 

engines. The new diesels run at least 20 percent more 

efficiently than gasoline engines, but they have one drawback: 

Diesels run dirtier. One major area of “green vehicle” 

research involves cleaning up diesel emissions (see sidebar 

on Alfdex.) 

Engineers are also devising ways to improve diesel efficiency, 

using such tools as the piezo common rail (pcr) 

injection system. The technology, first developed by Bosch 

and Siemens in the mid-1990s, uses piezo-actuated injectors 

to create a finer and more targeted spray of fuel. In 

North America, the first vehicle to use this technology is the 

2008 Ford F-Series Super Duty pickup. 

Further diesel advances are likely to rely even more on 

computers and sensors in the engine. Increasingly, tech- 

nology will make it possible to fine-tune engine combustion 

so that it matches driving demands without wasting 

unneeded fuel. A decade ago, an engine might have had 

three sensors to control the fuel combustion and emissions 

process. By 2015, an engine may have 15 or 20 sensors, Millikin 

predicts, adding, “Your engine will be turned into a 

thinking entity.” 

So far, us consumers have been reluctant to embrace 

diesel cars, as the word “diesel” still has connotations of 

“dirty and stinky.” But Honda is taking on the market challenge. 

By 2009, it plans to introduce “clean diesels” to 

the us, with the promise better gas mileage. Playing off of 

their diesel successes in Europe, automakers Volkswagen, 

bmw, Chrysler and Nissan are also planning to introduce 

us models. 

Meanwhile, engineers are looking at alternatives to 

petroleum. For the past eight years Honda has marketed 

its natural gas-powered Civic gx, which runs very clean, 

producing about 25 percent less carbon dioxide emissions 

than gasoline does. Recently, Civic gx owners who live in 

California and New York have been given a new option: 

refueling at home. They can simply hook up their cars to 

domestic natural gas supply lines, using an appliance called 

Phill. 

�� has also made inroads in Europe, particularly 

in Germany and Sweden. In Europe, Volvo markets 

“bi-fuel” cars equipped with two fuel systems and two 

tanks, one for methane gas and one for gasoline backup. 

The methane tank, which fits beneath the floor of the vehicle, 

provides a range of about 250 kilometers. When it runs 

out, the engine automatically switches to gasoline. 

Biodiesel – a fuel made from chemically modifying fat or 

vegetable oil – is another area of intense research. In theory, 

any regular diesel can run with biodiesel blended into 

its standard fuel. In practice, however, biodiesel can cause 

engine problems, especially at higher concentrations, and 

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Your engine will be turned into 

a thinking entity. 

Mike Millikin 

engine makers have been moving cautiously, waiting for a 

renewable fuel that’s purer and more consistent. 

And then there’s the move toward hybrid vehicles. 

Hybrids have improved significantly over the past few years, 

mainly due to advances in nickel metal hydride batteries, 

which are now capable of storing power for much longer 

periods. Currently, the Toyota Prius and other hybrids 

recapture energy used in braking and use it to power the car. 

Next, Millikin says, you’ll start seeing hybrid technologies 

used in subtle ways, even in cars that do not call themselves 

hybrids. The idea is to reduce demands on the combustion 

engine, by using electricity or other energy sources. 

Automakers are gradually introducing hybrid features, 

Millikin explained, as they balance fuel efficiency against 

cost. bmw recently added a modest hybrid feature – an auto 

start/stop function – into several of its European models. 

This function, according to the company description, 

“switches off the engine as soon as the vehicle stops moving 

and starts it again extremely quickly” when the driver 

pushes on the accelerator. This results in significant fuel 

savings, especially in city driving. Like a hybrid, the auto 

start/stop function relies on a battery to store power. 

The next major step for hybrids will be the development 

of a plug-in car, with a bigger battery that further reduces 

demands on the engine and offers a greater range before 

An environmental success 

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needing to be recharged. Such cars, Millikin 

says, could eventually make a 

“very big difference” in reducing 

carbon dioxide emissions. 

And finally, there’s the power of 

hydrogen. gm and bmw are among 

the automakers devoting significant 

money and brainpower to developing 

hydrogen technology. The beauty of these vehicles is that 

they emit virtually nothing but water vapor. Yet engineers 

must still overcome major hurdles before the vehicles will 

be ready for the average consumer, as they remain quite 

expensive and require large storage tanks. 

Last April, gm unveiled its latest version of the Chevrolet 

Volt, a concept car that runs entirely on electricity. The 

Volt relies on both a lithium-ion battery and gm’s fifthgeneration 

hydrogen fuel cell propulsion technology. “gm’s 

fifth-generation fuel cell system is half the size of its predecessor, 

yet it provides the same power and performance,” 

states the company’s description. The car can be plugged 

in, adding an additional 20 miles to its range every time it 

is charged. 

Meanwhile, bmw has been promoting its Hydrogen 7, 

although the car is not available for sale to the public. This 

past August, a sample of the car, which burns hydrogen 

in a combustion engine, was given to actor Will Ferrell to 

show off bmw’s hydrogen fuel technology to the world. The 

company has made its position clear, stating, “bmw believes 

hydrogen will replace petroleum as the long-term alternative 

to fossil fuel.” 

Overall, automakers find themselves in a tricky position, 

Millikin says. They’re working hard to develop greener cars 

for the future, but at the same time they’re trying to please 

current consumers. And consumers remain very conflicted, 

he says, torn between their support for environmentally 

improved cars and their traditional desire for cars that 

provide speed, power and the comforting routine of a gas 

station. � 

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�� the fuel efficiency of 

vehicles and to reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, 

the transportation industry is at a crossroad. The rising cost 

of petroleum and the increasing consumer demand for 

environmental conservation have pushed for getting more 

mileage per gallon. At the same time, engine manufacturers 

have had to comply with tighter emission standards, 

which have in effect made vehicles less fuel efficient. 

There are manifold variables that determine how efficient 

a vehicle is. The engine provides the power. The chassis 

can be more or less aerodynamic. The lubricants limit 

the friction in the engine’s moving parts. The tires add 


more or less resistance. The proper maintenance ensures 

the vehicle’s longest possible life. Finally, the way the vehicle 

is driven tops off the list. 

Three experts – one from an engine manufacturing 

company, one from a lubricant additives producer, and a 

fleet maintenance specialist – share their different points 

of view. 

Ron Szapacs specializes in vehicle maintenance. He has 

been at Air Products & Chemicals Inc. for 30 years. He says 

all of the industry players are vigorously pursuing increased 

efficiency but that there is not too much margin left for 

improvement. His fleet averages six miles to a gallon 

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New products and technology have 

to be cost-effective, reliable and durable. 

Chuck Blake 

round-trip, four to five when loaded, six to seven empty. 

“Fleet guys have done everything we can to improve on 

fuel economy,” Szapacs says. 

“All the fleet people are encouraging manufacturers to 

increase fuel economy,” Szapacs says. “Engine manufacturers 

are competing vigorously to have the most fuel efficient 

engines.” 

Szapacs says that engines became less efficient when 

manufacturers had to comply with tighter emissions standards. 

“The engines operate very cleanly but they pay the 

price with fuel economy,” he says. 

Chuck Blake is a senior technical sales support manager 

at Detroit Diesel, a leading engine manufacturer based in 

Michigan. Blake says there is always a trade-off when it 

comes to efficiency, durability and drivability. 

“When everybody started producing ’04 compliance 

engines in October of ’02, it cost between 3 percent and 

5 percent in fuel economy because of the change,” Blake 

says. 

“We make the best, most fuel efficient engine that we 

can,” he said, adding that it’s up to the fleets to apply the 

technology. 

Kenneth Claar is a field test engineer at Lubrizol, a 

manufacturer of additives for engine oils, driveline fluids, 

and gasoline and diesel fuels. Claar predicts there will not 

be big changes in fuel economy. 

“From the standpoint of our business, we look for ways 

to develop additives and formulate lubricants to enhance or 

improve the fuel efficiency of the complete vehicle,” Claar 

says. 

Claar says they work closely with engine manufacturers 

to develop products that will improve the durability of the 

engines, while at the same time meeting government regulations. 

“Emissions regulations keep changing; we are chasing a 

moving target,” Claar says. 

“Right now emissions are to the point where it will be 

difficult to get lower,” Szapacs says. “Right now diesel 

engines operate cleaner than natural gas engines in heavy 

duty vehicles. Hopefully we will get the fuel efficiency up 

on the diesel engines.” 

Blake attests that just as the Series 60 engines 20 years 

ago increased efficiency by six to eight percent, and new 

engine technology can add a four-to-five-percent boost. 

With automated transmissions and fuel-efficient shift 

schedules it allows the vehicle to be driven in the most fuelefficient 

manner possible. 

“It takes an average driver and makes him an excellent 

driver,” Blake says. 

As the cost of petroleum has skyrocketed, so have the 

fleets’ operating costs. 

“If I know there’s something I can do to be more fuelefficient 

I do it,” Szapacs says. “Every tenth of a mile per 

gallon is worth over half a million dollars in our fleet.” 

Most fleets run synthetic lubricants that reduce losses 

in the drive train, use fuel-efficient tires that reduce rolling 

resistance at optimal air pressure, he says. “There are not 

that many tricks left to get that number up.” 

Szapacs says they have changed the rear axle ratio to get 

engines to operate at the lowest rpm, cut down on engine 

idling, applied cruise control to improve fuel economy and 

set maximum speeds for drivers. They’ve gained a four 

percent increase in efficiency replacing dual tires with 

Michelin wide base tires. 

“For the past 15 years we’ve been doing this, we can’t do 

much more,” he says. “I’m sure all the engine companies 

are working hard to increase fuel economy.” 

�� and fleet maintenance specialists 

work together closely to ensure the optimal usage 

and care of new engines. 

“We try to keep maintenance people in the loop on 

engine designs,” Blake says. “We have module systems 

instead of piece by piece, which should be easier to fix. 

Water pump replacement is easier in new engines.” 

The cost-benefit balance of each component is a delicate 

one. 

“New products and technology have to be cost-effective, 

reliable and durable,” Blake says. 

“You can always make something work in the lab,” Blake 

says. “Years ago we investigated a ceramic coating on pistons 

to retain heat and use the heat to run the engine more 

Right now diesel engines 

operate cleaner than natural gas 

engines in heavy duty vehicles. 

Ron Szapacs 

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efficiently. It worked in the lab, but it was not a good longterm 

solution, it would flake off and go into the exhaust 

system and damage the turbo.” 

Some of the innovations that have helped increase the 

efficiency of vehicles have also come accompanied by 

higher costs. For example, there are components to the 

chassis that make it more aerodynamic, but they are more 

costly to repair if they get damaged; there are tires that 

allow the vehicle to run more efficiently with less resistance 

but they don’t last as many miles. 

No one ventured to predict major changes in the near 

future. All three rave about hybrid systems that are already 

on the road. However, the technology is useful for stop-andgo 

applications, such as FedEx or ups trucks, not so much 

for over-the-road uses, where the diesel engine is still considered 

the paragon power source. 

The diesel engine has evolved and will continue to do so. 

As will the fuels that power them. 

“We have to look at biodiesel and renewable fuels,” Claar 

says. “But we should not get our fuel from food sources. 

We have to look at other sources for the renewable part of 

the fuel, such as waste products, or else we will drive up the 

cost of food.” 

Blake says he questions how cost effective it is to produce 

bio diesel at the moment. “You read that it takes more energy 

to create B20 diesel, and so far there is little quality control.” 

In our consumer-oriented economy, trucks come and 

go, to and fro, transporting the products that fuel our daily 

lives. Big trucks move along great distances hauling heavy 

loads from one central loading location to another. Smaller 

trucks carry parcels within a city. 

“More than 90 percent of everything is brought by 

trucks,” Blake says. 

Claar says that the only way to decrease fuel consumption 

is through a change in lifestyle. 

“The days of cheap fuel are gone. It costs us more to be 

more environmentally friendly, but we will have to make 

that change.” � 

We look for ways to develop 

additives and formulate lubricants to 

enhance or improve the fuel efficiency 

of the complete vehicle. 

Kenneth Claar 


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��would be proud. The Parisborn 

Bavarian creator of the diesel engine won 

his first patents back in the 1890s for a pressureignition 

engine system that increased efficiency. 

Fast-forward 120 years and Volvo Group is basing 

its design for a next generation of efficient 

trucks and buses on a powertrain that marries 

Diesel’s tried-and-true engine to electric drives. 

“Long ago we realized the advantage of 

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compression-ignition combustion for heavy 

vehicles,” says Anders Kroon, vice president 

and director of hybrid technology at Volvo Powertrain 

Corporation in Gothenburg, Sweden. 

Diesels are more efficient at oxidizing fuel than 

gasoline engines are, and heavier diesel fuel has 

a higher energy density. 

Volvo Group has seen the future, however 

– a future in which conventional fuel (including 

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diesel) prices are steadily on the rise, and market 

share awaits those companies that deliver the 

most efficiency. For Volvo that means embracing 

hybrids as the new business and technology 

model, with hybrid diesels as the first generation 

of that model. 

Volvo Group says it believes that as much as 

a fifth of its global sales of buses and trucks will 

eventually come from vehicles incorporating 

hybrid technology. 

“Our task is to figure out what is possible and 

to find those optimal hybrid technologies that 

increase efficiency, thus lowering our customers’ 

operational costs,” Kroon says. 

Meanwhile Volvo Cars, currently owned by 

Ford, will reportedly show a plug-in hybrid die- 

Expertise 

sel version of the Volvo C30 auto this fall at the 

Michelin Challenge Bibendum. 

Volvo’s first decision, after it announced it 

would launch hybrid diesel trucks and buses 

into the marketplace by 2009, was to pick parallel 

hybrid technology. A series hybrid system, 

Kroon explains, which Volvo has employed in 

the past, is larger in size and weight and less efficient 

in a range of drive cycles. It also costs more 

to produce. 

�� however, provides 

a number of advantages, according to Kroon. 

The electric drive can be more compact, varying 

from small to large, depending on desired 

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features. The vehicle doesn’t depend on the 

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Expertise 

A flurry of fuels 

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“ Our task is to figure out what is possible and 

to find those optimal hybrid technologies that 

increase efficiency.” 

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two systems together but can run solely on either 

one, and existing powertrain components can be 

used. This can help with the cost of hybrid diesel 

vehicles, which is expected to be 

up to a third higher than regular 

diesels. 

The potential fuel savings in 

Volvo’s first releases of hybrid diesel 

city buses and trucks ranges from 

20 to 35 percent, depending on 

the vehicle and its application. A 

city bus, for example, with numerous 

stops and starts in which 

the electric engine recoups 

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power from the brake application, might expect 

fuel savings of 25 to 35 percent, Kroon estimates. 

Volvo already has an order for six of its hybrid 

diesel buses to go to the city of London 

A hybrid diesel garbage truck might see 

approximately the same fuel savings as a city 

bus. But using cleaner (and silent) electric for 

some inner-city driving might allow fleet owners 

to extend garbage pickups and decrease the total 

number of vehicles in a fleet, Kroon says. An 

average long-haul truck, stopping infrequently 

and maintaining steady speeds, might enjoy only 

a maximum of 8 percent fuel savings. 

Yet Kroon is also convinced that hybrid diesel 

development is in its infancy and has a way to go 

before it has tapped its efficiency opportunities. 

Advances in batteries and energy storage are two 

areas where more research and improvements 

are needed. 

“By starting the hands-on work with the 

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hybrid diesel we really get to play with the technology 

and start to find all the hidden opportunities,” 

Kroon says. “One invention after another 

starts to emerge.” 

��electric power steering, electrically 

driven air conditioning and refrigeration, 

electric hydraulic systems and a combined gps 

(global positioning system) and road database 

could all maximize efficiency in vehicles. In the 

latter example, the gps/road database could foresee 

downhill stretches where trucks could switch 

to run purely on the electric drive, recharging the 

drive as well as saving fuel. 

Kroon says there are still some skeptics who 

don’t believe long-haul trucks will realize significant 

fuel savings and environmental improvements 

from the hybrid diesel model. But as the 

parallel hybrid model is perfected, the diesel 

engine portion could also easily run on a cleaner, 

more-efficient future fuel (see sidebar). 

“Even three or four years ago many engineers 

were filled with skepticism,” Kroon says. 

“Someone had to move the first stone, and it will 

still take some time to convince everyone. But I 

believe all of tomorrow’s vehicles will be hybridized. 

Why waste energy when with this model 

you can find so many ways to save it?” � 

Haldex develops 

new technology 

�� a new technology 

for electronic control of hydraulic systems, 

ems (Energy Management Systems). 

Important milestones were reached in 2006 

through the start of prototype projects with 

two different vehicle manufacturers. 

ems combines hydraulic and electronics 

in a manner that provides improved 

efficiency and reduced energy consumption. 

The technology creates opportunities 

for hydraulic hybrid vehicles. A significant 

advantage of hydraulic hybrid vehicles is the 

possibility to save and re-use a large percentage 

of the energy that is lost when the vehicle’s 

brakes are applied, and utilize potential 

energy produced when cargo is shifted. The 

factor is critical for improved fuel economy. 

The hydraulic hybrid technology also makes 

it possible for the engine’s rpm, and the 

moment of force from the engine, to be 

made independent of the vehicle’s speed. 

As a result, the engine can be driven cleaner 

and more economically. The technology 

is believed to have very significant market 

potential. � 

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Expertise 

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��European Union-sponsored 

project has challenged Haldex and 25 other manufacturers, 

including DaimlerChrysler, to build 

an advanced vehicle that incorporates electronic 

architecture to increase traffi c safety. 

The eu launched the sparc (Secure Propulsion 

using Advanced Redundant Control) project 

in late 2003 in an effort to decrease traffi c fatalities 

on Europe’s roads from the current fi gure of 

40,000 per year to half that number by 2010. 

The sparc partners have collaborated on 

unique next-generation safety architecture that is 

based on drive-by-wire electronic technology that 

works in a range of vehicles, from small passenger 

cars to large trucks and trailers. 

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“The project is fi nished, and it is a success,” 

says Fredrik Seglö, director of advanced product 

development at Haldex cvs. “What we accomplished 

was a vehicle system that is intelligent 

enough under certain conditions to act automatically 

on steering and braking, like a copilot. 

If the driver makes a bad decision or 

falls asleep, the system momentarily takes 

over the driver’s role, steering away from 

the danger or applying the brakes.” 

Haldex’s role in the project was to 

develop a brake system for a complete truck 

and trailer combination with electro mechanical 

brakes (emb). This means each wheel is 

equipped with a brake that is intelligently con- 

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trolled by an electrical motor, replacing today’s 

pneumatic brakes. The signal to apply or release 

the brake is transferred electronically from the 

driver’s pedal to the wheel ends. On the trailer, 

Haldex also developed a complete electronic 

brake control and suspension system. 

�� is a joint effort 

between the engineering teams from Heidelberg 

(Suspension Control), Landskrona (emb) and 

Redditch (Trailer Brake System) – all different 

business units within the Haldex Commercial 

Vehicle System Division. 

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emb was included in the Mercedes Benz 

Actros truck shown at the sparc project’s fi nal 

meeting and technology demonstration in July 

2007. 

By replacing conventional pneumatic disc 

brakes with emb, Seglö says braking distance 

required by heavy trucks can be reduced about 

15 percent on average, due to quicker response 

and better control. A truck traveling 90 kilometers 

per hour would need around seven meters 

less braking distance (about the length of two 

regular passenger vehicles). Reducing braking 

distance would help drivers avoid accidents. 

emb also would reduce energy consumption by 

employing the rotational energy of the wheels to 

generate brake force. 

In a truck with a complete safety architecture 

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“ Representatives from both the eu 

and DaimlerChrysler stated clearly 

that safety and energy consumption 

are key drivers in future automotive 

development.” 

Fredrik Seglö 

such as sparc, a camera and radar might use 

FlexRay communication channels to send messages 

to the brakes about potential upcoming 

braking, thus moving them into a state of readiness 

Seglö calls “brake assist mode.” emb also 

has the ability, Seglö says, to provide better 

driver control and dynamics on curvy or 

slippery roads. 

“Representatives from both the eu 

and DaimlerChrysler stated clearly 

that safety and energy consumption 

are key drivers in future automotive 

development,” says Seglö. “So 

it is likely that many of the results 

achieved in the sparc project will be 

implemented in future generations of 

vehicles.” � 

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Haldex 

EMB braking: 

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��to get ahead in today’s tough business climate. 

Once you do, staying there is even harder. And with success 

comes the risk of “fat-cat syndrome.” Many companies 

have woken up too late from their complacent sleep to find 

their market changed and their business in a tailspin. 

“Non-stop business development is a matter of survival,” 

says Bernt Ejbyfeldt, managing director with Konstruktions-Bakelit 

ab (kb), located in Örkelljunga in southwestern 

Sweden. “Customers crave lower costs and shorter 

lead times and at the same time higher quality. It’s a tough 

equation.” 

Since it was founded in 1947 by local entrepreneur 

Anders Månson, kb has been all about being one step 

ahead and adapting to market needs. Today the company 

is one of Sweden’s major producers of plastic components, 

renowned even outside its home market. The group 

employs roughly 280 people and comprises three companies, 

of which kb Components is the largest. The most 

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recent addition to the family is a production plant in Lithuania. 

The company’s estimated revenues for 2007 are 330 

million Swedish kronor (usd 48 million). 

“The automotive industry makes up roughly 75 percent 

of our customers,” says Ejbyfeldt, who worked 25 years for 

prime customer Volvo before joining kb four years ago. 

“We sell both to first-tier suppliers and directly to the manufacturers 

– passenger cars as well as trucks and buses.” 

Haldex has been a prioritized customer for years, and kb 

currently produces many parts for the company. 

“They’re very demanding, but we find that only stimulating,” 

says Jörgen Eliasson, kb’s key account manager. 

“We’ve got a good relationship. Our No. 1 Haldex product, 

volume-wise, is a mtc [Multi-Trap cartridge], which we both 

produce the various plastic parts for and assemble. There is 

also the technically complicated Alfdex separator, which we 

produce several components for, including discs as thin as 

0.35 millimeters, kb’s thinnest to date.” 

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Our company size matters and 

the fact that we have the capacity 

to handle large projects involving 

many different tools, which 

is a synergy gain for the 

customer. 

Jörgen Eliasson 

kb’s business strategy has been to go from being a supplier 

to providing complete system solutions. 

“Manufacturing is the heart of our business, and we cover 

all methods on the market,” says Ejbyfeldt. “We have 60 

nc-controlled machines with clamping forces of from 35 to 

1,600 tons, and the number is increasing constantly. Lately 

we have been focusing on larger machines, which are more 

knowledge-intensive and thus less prone to competition.” 

A lot of companies can produce plastic parts, but it takes 

more than that to become a certified supplier to the hard-toplease 

automotive industry, which is always on the hunt for 

lower prices and reduced weight. Throughout the years kb 

has amassed a vast experience of everything plastic, something 

the company is very proud of. 

“Our competence is what sets us apart,” says Ejbyfeldt. 

“We’re able to take responsibility for the whole manufacturing 

process or any part of it, depending on what the customer 

needs, including design, prototypes and tool making. 

We cover most welding technologies, even for materials 

that are usually extremely hard to weld.” 

�� has its own state-of-the-art laboratory 

– one of the best in the industry in Europe, according to 

Ejbyfeldt – as well as measuring resources and data simulation 

capabilities, which can be used to learn vital facts about 

the tools and the production process. The company also 

provides training. 

“What it all boils down to,” Ejbyfeldt says, “is close coop- 

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Innovative plastics 

for tomorrow’s cars 

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eration with the customer and going that extra mile to add 

value to your proposition. Research and development is 

incredibly important if you want to stay ahead, and we constantly 

invest large amounts in it, the Vinnova project being 

a prime example [see sidebar]. Jan-Anders Månson, our 

chairman of the board and part owner, is also a professor 

and vice president doing research on plastics at Lausanne’s 

epfl University, so that’s an inroad to the development of 

plastics.” 

“Of course,” says Jörgen Eliasson, “our company size 

matters and the fact that we have the capacity to handle 

large projects involving many different tools, which is a 

synergy gain for the customer.” 

The market for manufacturing plastic products is huge. 

“New customers emerge all the time,” Eliasson says. 

“I’m constantly amazed how much plastic there is out 

there, even in businesses you didn’t even think of. Using 

plastic, you can produce just about anything, and it’s come 

to the point where it’s often hard to tell what car parts are 

plastic.” 

It is obvious that kb is not a fat cat in the making. The 

will to develop the business is still very much a part of the 

company, and the future looks bright, says Ejbyfeldt: 

“We want to grow, both organically and through acquisitions,” 

he says. “Our short-term goal is 400 million kronor 

[usd 58 million] in yearly revenues, but it would be great to 

eventually reach 1 billion. We’ve got some plans, but it is 

too early to reveal anything.” � 

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��Monica Bellgran assumed the position of 

new Group Head of Production Technology and Systems at 

Haldex, located in Stockholm. 

Monica Bellgran is an enthusiastic spirit with a passion 

for the field of production technology. She has channeled 

her extensive and captivating interest as a supervisor, 

researcher and project manager at Sweden’s leading universities 

and institutes of technology, and also through her 

involvement in research policy, with assignments for such 

organizations as the Association of Swedish Engineering 

Industries and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering 

Sciences (iva). 

After graduating with a Master’s degree in engineering 

from Luleå University of Technology, Monica Bellgran 

completed a Ph.D. in production technology at the Institute 

of Technology at Linköping University in 1998. Since then, 

she has divided her time between, among others, Chalmers 

University of Technology in Gothenburg and the Royal 

institute of Technology in Stockholm. She is currently 

adjunct professor of Innovative Production Development at 

Mälardalen University, where she was one of the initiators 

of the Factory-in-a-box project. This project was initially a 

theoretical model for rapid production adaptations and is 

now a functional concept for mobile and flexible production 

capacity that has received widespread attention and 

demand from Swedish industrial companies. 

For Monica Bellgran, Factory-in-a-box is a response to 

the manufacturing industry’s increasing needs for rapid 

and flexible production adaptation, although the project 

can also be viewed as a reaction to the recent years of hype 

surrounding outsourcing. This is also a subject close to 

Monica Bellgran’s heart, and she therefore joined the panel 

of experts behind iva’s Production for Competitiveness 

project. However, Monica Bellgran emphasizes that she 

is generally not against outsourcing, although it is very 

important that a decision to outsource is made on as solid 

grounds as possible. 

Two years ago, Monica Bellgran made the move from 

academia to industry after securing an assignment as a specialist 

and subsequently as head of production technology 

at Volvo Construction Equipment in Eskilstuna. 

In the spring of 2007, Monica Bellgran received an 

inquiry from Haldex to become its Group Head of Production 

Technology and Systems. Despite the positive challenges 

offered at Volvo, the move to Haldex was attractive. 

“The automotive industry is an interesting sector and 

�Haldex 

People 

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Haldex is a well-known and exciting company. But what 

was most attractive was the opportunity to work with 

strategic and global production issues and strengthen the 

cooperation between production and product development. 

It is a very interesting field that I hope will become one of 

Haldex’s strongest competitive edges.” 

Monica Bellgran is convinced that Haldex has excellent 

possibilities of creating world-class production. And she 

believes that the boundaries are very well-defined through 

Haldex’s own version of lean production, “the Haldex Way”, 

which was launched in 2000. � 

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��knows how to win. From his years racing 

motorcycles to his current award-winning 1990 Nissan 

300zx Twin Turbo sports car, he’s always found a way to 

come out on top. But the lesson that resonates most for 

him came from his stint on a pit crew for a motorcycle racing 

team “It’s just all teamwork,” he says. “When we’re trying 

to satisfy customers, it’s total teamwork.” 

Dombeck is general manager of the Haldex Hydraulics 

plant in Statesville, North Carolina, a beautiful wooded 

A problem-solving opportunity 

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area not far from the city of Charlotte. The plant produces 

hydraulic gear pumps for big clients such as John Deere 

and Dana. Rich Dombeck came to the plant in March 

2004. Today the plant is shipping almost twice as much 

per day as it was back in 2004. Says Dombeck, “We set a 

sales record in April, we beat it in May, and we beat it again 

in June.” 

Dombeck credits an employee empowerment system 

– ldms or Lean Daily Management System – for the 

improvement at Statesville. He adapted this work cell 

management program that brings machinists, assemblers, 

production control and material handlers together for a 10minute 

meeting every day. “It’s what has to happen today,” 

he explains. “Not big picture. Not 30, 60, 90 days, but what 

has to happen today. That’s where you need to focus.” 

And Dombeck knows about focus. Always interested in 

mechanical things, he grew up in New Philadelphia, Ohio, 

with his two brothers. He earned degrees in mechanical 

engineering and a business administration from universities 

in Ohio. He then worked for the Parker Hannifin Company 

in various capacities that ranged from manufacturing 

engineer to plant manager in five different cities in the 

United States before joining Haldex. 

Dombeck began racing motorcycles while still in high 

school, and continued into the early 1990s. One crash saw 

his bike slip out from him while traveling 75 miles per 

hour, but he walked about without serious injuries. He 

laughs as he recalls his father saying to him, “Well, did you 

hit your head hard enough to knock some sense into you?” 

To which Dombeck answered, “No, I landed on my butt.” 

After hanging up his racing helmet for good, he started 

looking for a sports car to buy, finally settling on a brightred 

Nissan 300zx Twin Turbo. He’s won many awards at 

car shows over the years, recently earning a best in show 

in June. “As impressive as that car is, I really don’t drive 

the car fast at all,” he explains. Instead, his joy is keeping it 

in immaculate condition, inside and out. Even the engine 

shines, with every component buffed to a bright luster. 

Dombeck sees communication as the key to success in 

the plant. He’s comfortable strolling the floor and visiting 

with the 138 employees. Of course, in his job you have to 

understand manufacturing, he says. But all the technical 

degrees are not enough. “You need to understand people. 

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Not 30, 60, 90 days, but what 

has to happen today. That’s where you 

need to focus. 

They can teach you the chemistry and the fluid dynamics 

and all that, but they don’t tell you how to work with people. 

Whether you’re an engineer or a supervisor, you need those 

skills.” 

The ldms program has helped dramatically in improving 

the plant output. Employees feel safe contributing their 

ideas, and simple communication solved some long-standing 

problems. Dombeck also brought in trainers to run 

seminars to give employees strategies for working together. 

Dombeck keeps setting the bar higher, both for himself 

and for his employees. He recently sold his boat, because 

there was just no time to use it. In the plant most Saturdays, 

he just has time for his car shows and an occasional 

round of golf, explaining with pride that he shot his first 

eagle on July 4. � 

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�Haldex 

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Wherever you are in 

the world, Haldex has the 

brake system. 

Hundreds of challenges. One simple solution. 

Creating an integrated brake system meant overcoming hundreds of challenges that 

could impact your brake system effectiveness. Through decades of air brake design and 

manufacturing, Haldex has developed air brake and suspension control products that 

work together. Like our popular Automatic Brake Adjusters, we’ve got a line of air brake 

system products that will keep you on the road. 

Wherever you are in the world today, we’ve got a simple solution to meet your need for 

a safe, complete and more efficient brake system. Haldex. 

www.haldex.com 

ABS • EBS • Air Suspension Control • Air Treatment • Automatic Brake Adjusters • Disc Brakes • Friction • Spring Brakes

Innovation ´ the environment¸s best friend - Haldex

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