New year...new people...new challenges

The start of the year often brings changes and new (year) resolutions with one door closing, while another one is opening.

After 40 years of loyal service, our Distribution Engineering Manager, John Whittlesea, decided to “hang up his boots” (or slides shall we say? ) and take a well-deserved rest.

This change challenged a new person to fill this interesting and demanding role to support our European Distribution network.

Let’s hear what Stefan Herchenreder has to say…

HK: A big welcome to the Distribution Team, Stef! But you are not completely new to Accuride, are you?

SH: No, I’ve been with Accuride for almost 13 years now.

I was recruited when Accuride started making inroads into the field of Automotive projects.

My previous life had been spent working within the Automotive industry - both for an OEM and for full-service suppliers. That gave me plenty of experience for my Design and Project Engineering role within Accuride.

HK: What areas are you looking forward to in this role?

SH: Personally, I’d say that I’m looking forward to the variety of the challenge. Facing technical queries from Customers and Distributors - discovering the wide range of applications where our slides have been put to use.

Also, I now have a great team to work with - designing, developing and testing new products for our Distribution Division.

HK: In your previous role, you have actually designed products that are already in our Quick Ship programme – DA0116-RC and the Locking Handle Kit. Where do you get the inspiration?

SH: Oh I can’t take the credit for that! These things usually start with a customer or a colleague saying something like “I wish we could get a …”, or “Wouldn’t it be great to have a …”.

That gets the creative juices flowing… from there, design processes, customer input and feedback take over… and the new product evolves.

For example, the 0116RC started as my “hobby project” to create a super heavy duty recirculating ball slide - something I’d work on between other projects.

When AXIS Automatic Entrance Systems came to us and asked for a very low effort system that they could use for hospital doors at the new Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, the hobby project was quickly adapted to suit this application. With a few additional modifications, it was put into the Distribution range.

HK: If you had the crystal ball, what new trends would you predict?

SH: I would predict that trends are leading increasingly towards more re-circulating type of slides. These types of slides have the benefit of being more versatile with regard to length.

Unlike traditional slides with a fixed length and travel set by the slide member lengths and ball bearing cages, the travel of a re-circulating type slide is restricted only by the length of the track it is fitted into… and individual tracks can be butted end-to-end to create any length required.

On a wider note (and at the risk of sounding old) I’d also predict that over the next few years we’ll also see a lot more interaction between… well… just about everything!

The whole “Internet Of Things” appears to be snowballing. Smartphones and now smart watches, mean that people have the internet at their fingertips 24-7. Technology that started as a thousand dollar plus watch can now be purchased at a petrol station for literally pocket-money prices. As these devices get cheaper and smarter, they become more accessible. More people have them, leading to more ideas and ever greater demands on what these gizmos can do.

Just a few years ago, the internet was a cable connected to your home computer and used for emailing and looking things up. Now, via WiFi, it provides the content to your TV, controls the thermostat in your home and even switches on the coffee machine as you make your way home. You can see where there are empty parking spaces in a city-centre, provide your doctor with live-feed health data, track your cat and your fridge can do on-line shopping!

Hmmm… I wonder if I can connect a ball-bearing slide to the internet?

HK: Well…maybe that can be your next new invention! We wish Stef good luck and look forward to new and exciting developments from his team!

Accuride – always moving forward…