Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Riverside Mfg., LLC helps Allen County Highway Department get better control of vehicle electrical systems

FORT WAYNE, IND. (Dec. 5, 2013) – Riverside Mfg., LLC, an industry leader specializing in the design and manufacture of electrical systems and products for harsh environment vehicles and equipment, announces the implementation of its SmartTek 8-Button Switch Panel and Mini I/O Control Module on Allen County Highway Department vehicles. The technology is replacing previous aging and difficult-to-use rocker switches to help drivers control more items within the vehicle.

The combined SmartTek product is a solid-state controller area network (“CAN”) based module for electrical systems which distribute electrical energy to power external headlamps, turn fans on and off, control internal dome lights and more. By having an easy-to-use interface with a high number of power switch inputs, the product allows a user to more efficiently operate vehicle electrical systems.

Allen County Highway Department installed the modules in a number of dump trucks to maintain greater control over electrical system functions, such as activating the salt spreader, power take off (PTO) and controlling plow strobe lights. The module offers multiple user-friendly methods for programming without the need to comprehend high levels of electrical system coding. 

“Creating products that simplify operations while on the road is one of our company’s top goals,” said Fred Merritt, CEO of Riverside. “With this solid-state module, users may install it themselves without having to engage additional technical assistance for backend code. Furthermore, customers have the ability to configure more switches and control more items that require powering within their vehicle, which they couldn’t do before with most current control panels.”

Designed with the latest solid-state components for maximum configurability and control, the SmartTek system features customizable inserts and programmable multi-color backlit buttons in a small enclosure. Additionally, the technology is housed in weather-tight extruded aluminum protecting against harsh weather conditions, and the system offers eight 10 amp configurable outputs and four digital-input channels.

The Allen County Highway Department helps to build better roads that people may travel freely, comfortably and safely in the pursuit of daily interests and activities.

“Overall, I was impressed by the ease of install of both the I/O and switch panel. It more than met our expectations and was only a two to four hour install,” said Ed Neal, Fleet Manager of Allen County Highway Department. “It has excellent functionality with more options than a bank of manually wired switches and relays, and we look forward to installing more units in the trucks here at the department.”

The SmartTek panel and module is the first product to be announced from a series of innovative, next-generation vehicle controls that Riverside will be launching in the upcoming year.

To learn more about Riverside Mfg., LLC, visit http://www.riversidemfg.com.

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