Herbert Larsen, P.E., has broad design experience with a focus on vehicle design and power transmission. In a leadership role, Larsen has worked as an engineering director and manager for two Tier 1 automotive and commercial vehicle suppliers. As a design engineer, Mr. Larsen has rich experience in drivetrains, all-wheel-drive systems and general new product development at Original Equipment and Tier 1 manufacturers.

Larsen has expertise in product engineering and design of commercial vehicles and construction equipment, the engineering of major vehicle subsystems, drivetrain and drive systems for commercial and military applications. He has worked on instrumentation and test of vehicle structures and also has extensive experience on strain-life techniques and theory of bolted joints.

Background

Mr. Larsen worked at John Deere as a test and design engineer. At Arvinmeritor, he held a leadership position and headed engineering groups and cost centers. Herbert also worked at Hayes Lemmerz as Director of Engineering for commercial highway and aftermarket vehicle applications. For Diedrichs, he continues to lead design projects and provide technical direction.

Herbert is an accomplished engineer and manager with broad experience base in product design, development, and testing of commerical on and off-highway vehicle, agricultural and construction equipment markets. He is focused on results, and skilled in meeting aggressive objectives. Areas of strength include:

    -Project Planning & Management
    -Product Design & Development
    -Extensive Drivetrain Experience
    -Strong Analysis Skill
    -Problem Solving & Investigation
    -Cost Reduction

Over his career, Larsen has worked on a number of projects and technical investigations. The following list illustrates the wide variety of projects that Herbert has worked on:

• Mechanical Engineering
   - Analysis, review, concept creation, design, recommendations and proposals for various      machines, vehicles and systems.

• Mechanical Front Wheel Drive
   - Analysis and engineering design of a Mechanical Front Wheel Drive (MFWD) for a line      of tractor transmissions.

• Military Vehicles
   - Design truck transfer case Hybrid modification for Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles      (FMTV). This includes 2 1/2 to 5 ton trucks.

• Drivetrains- New Product Design
   - Engineering design and support including Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis      (DFMEA), design reviews and scheduling.

• Certified Testing
   - Lab test of an operator station per FMSVSS/CMVSS for OEM Crane Manufacturer.

• Failure Analysis
   - FEA (click to learn more) and analysis of fractured grain mill component for roller mill      OEM.

• Manufacturing
   - Co-created a plan for a factory redesign

• Electric Wheel Drive
   - Design of Hybrid Electric Wheel Drive unit for an advanced military ground vehicle for a      prime contractor

• Design Reviews
   - Independent transmission design review and recommendations for military contractor

• Drivetrain Cost/Weight Study
   - Conducted cost and weight study of wheel-end drive concepts for a component      supplier

ENGINEERING DIRECTOR: A Tier 1 supplier to the automotive and commercial highway industry

• Product Development- Highway Vehicles
   - Responsible for strategy development, budget planning, new product development,      cost reduction, organizational structure, quality system, product testing and lab      facilities, plant support and customer interface.

• Testing Lab
   - Restructured test lab functions

• Quality Program
   - Upgraded QS9000 quality system including on-line access. 

ENGINEER MANAGER: A leading automotive systems supplier with sales of $7.2 billion (formerly a business unit of Rockwell International)

• Product Development- Specialty Drivetrains
   - Led new and current product development, including single and double reduction axles,      and transfer cases for all-wheel drive markets in special commercial truck applications-      drill rigs, snow plows, fire trucks, etc.
   - Provided sales support, product rationalization, competitive benchmarking, cost      reduction, engineering resource planning, technology need forecasting, training, and      annual budget setting
   - Implemented databases for project tracking, cost reduction, and problem resolution
   - 10 team patent disclosures, 3 filed (FY2000)

• Axle Design
   - Led design of new and expanded line of double-reduction axles and specialty drives for      diverse customer base.
   - Managed multiple projects to fruition including new axle and transfer case products,      cost reduction projects, annual budget, and CAD implementation.
   - Coordinated work activities with sales and manufacturing groups.
   - Organized GD & T training for all engineering, design and relevant plant personnel
   - Co-authored ASME paper "Designing a Trunnion Arm Assembly for Specified Bearing      Preload".

• Transfer Case
   - Designed and developed from concept to production, new tranfer case for a major      military customer.
   - This product incorporated unique features including planetary, torque proportioning      differential; engage-on-the-fly differential lock and lubrication system.
   - Product was selected for use in the FMTV military truck program beginning in 1991
   - Named Rockwell International Engineer-of-the-Year 1991

SENIOR PROJECT ENGINEER: A premier agricultural and construction equipment OEM

• Powertrain Design (Click to learn more)
   - Powetrain design including brakes and front wheel drives for backhoe product line
  
• Two Stage Brake System
   - Designed and prototyped two-stage brake master cylinger for backhoe product line
   
• Backhoe
   - On team that introduced two new backhoe models from concept to production in 24      months.

• Brake System
   - Designed system for controlled brake piston retraction for backhoes.

• MFWD
   - Handled duties involving mechanical-front-drive- axles in backhoe product line.

• Component Test and Durability Test groups
   - Conducted stress tests on components ranging from small parts to large tractor      mainframes.
   - Analyzed high strain areas under both static and dynamic loading. Formulated fatigue      life predictions.
   - Assisted design groups in making changes to correct product problem areas.
   - Developed procedures for maximizing performance of critical threaded fastener joints.
   - Conducted remote, on-site field testing of forestry prototype equipment in the U.S. and      Canada.

Additional Information