Phillips Continues Transformation of R&D Capabilities with Forthoffer at the Helm

Santa Fe Springs, CA (Nov. 8, 2022) – Under the leadership of Dan Forthoffer, corporate director of R&D, Phillips Industries and Phillips Connect are transforming their R&D capabilities to meet the current and future challenges facing vehicle operators in the evolving transportation industry. This expanded initiative supports Phillips Industries, Phillips Connect, and Phillips Europe, and works collaboratively across all business units to bring the best solutions to Phillips customers.

Forthoffer focused on gathering engineers from not just the trucking industry, but also from the aerospace (NASA), defense, networking technologies, ADAS, and passenger car industries. Core teams within the new R&D organization are focused on the conceptualization and feasibility phase of product development.

A foundation of the R&D organization is a quality group and a proprietary test regime known as the Phillips Trustmark Quality Requirements Validation Routine. Each product must adhere to the testing regime before launch, preserving and building on the Phillips quality reputation as new products and systems are developed. It combines industry-standard testing and additional testing methodologies found in real-world applications, providing further assurances based on actual field experience.

“Phillips Industries, and now Phillips Connect have well-deserved reputations for developing innovative and top-quality products and systems solutions that address timely issues facing the heavy-duty trucking industry,” explained Forthoffer. “And today, we are entering an entirely new paradigm with technology and vehicle development that offers so much, but also presents challenges that create valuable R&D opportunities. Our new team will marry the high-tech, aggressive product development cycles of Phillips Connect with the methodical, quality-driven development, and manufacturing processes of Phillips Industries. This union will create innovative, robust, and high-quality products to meet those challenges.”

“Dan has brought significant experience to this company, and has a knack for grasping the possible,” said Rob Phillips, CEO of Phillips Industries and Phillips Connect. “From the years when my dad was drawing out product solutions on cocktail napkins with John Jacobs, to today’s explosive growth of Phillips Connect, the mindset here has always been ‘anything’s possible when we combine creativity with deep industry expertise.’ Dan is a great addition to the Phillips organization, and we expect our customers to reap the benefits from his knowledge and inventive mentality.”

Forthoffer joined Phillips in 2021 with more than two decades of innovative vehicle engineering experience including battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicle technologies, telematics, advanced control systems in the national defense and aerospace sectors, and advanced research and testing competencies. He earned a B.S.M.E. with advanced energy storage emphasis from Wayne State University in Detroit, and an M.S.A.E.T. (Masters, Alternative Energy Technology Engineering, Joint Mechanical/Electrical Engineering Masters). Forthoffer holds multiple patents for transportation products and methods and is currently chairman of the TMC S1 Future Truck/Trailer Electrical Interface Task Force, an SAE contributor, and a governor of H.D.A.T.C.