Hiab Completes R&D Laboratory in Sweden – Industry News

Hiab, part of Cargotec, has completed its R&D investment in Hudiksvall, Sweden. The new state of the art laboratory is part of an investment of EUR 2 million originating from 2014.  The investment was aimed to increase Hiab's abilities to test, validate and verify materials, components and products. 

"Our laboratory in Hudiksvall has been in operation since 1981. Today, Hudiksvall is the host of the biggest product development team in Hiab organisation. With this investment we shorten the development time and improve our quality assurance process. We constantly improve our abilities to make sure we have the best product offering answering to our customer needs in the market. We have a well-established skill set and extensive experience when it comes to test and verification", says Stefan Onkenhout, director, R&D, Loader Cranes.

The latest Hiab innovations developed in Hudiksvall are HiVisionTM 3D control system which enables crane operator to see the working area and operate the crane from truck cabin, VSL PLUS, the crane stability system as well as ePTO, which allows the loader crane to be powered electrically by a plug-in system, instead of the vehicle's engine. "This new product development and test centre will contribute to technical development across several product lines in Hiab", Onkenhout continues.

Hiab's target is for all new equipment to be connected and able to communicate with other systems and devices by 2018. "We already have over 15 years of experience of turning crane usage data into valuable information for product and feature development. With this expertise our customers get to enjoy the benefits of connectivity," says Roland Sundén, president, Hiab.