Meet the Team

With Meet The HARMAN Luxury Team, our goal is for you to get to know us better. In each edition we feature a different member of the team, and this month it's Erik Lundin, Sr. Mechanical Engineer.

How would you describe what you do in your current role?

I use 3D modelling software to create mechanical designs for our speakers. I also use it to perform simulations in order to improve and verify those designs, and then render pictures of what they will look like.

What did you study in school? Did you always imagine yourself doing something like what you’re doing now or did the fates just take you in that direction?

I studied Mechanical Engineering, but my career path has been a winding one. I have worked in software development, music production, as a pilot, and as a teacher, apart from my engineering experience. Ever since I was a kid I’ve had a strong interest in engineering and science, but if you had asked me 10 years ago if I would be working at HARMAN, I would not have believed you.

How did your career path lead you to HARMAN?

Well it was certainly not a straight line. I have always loved music, and learned a lot about sound building a couple hobbyist music studios as a teenager and into my early 20s. I never really considered that passion very relevant to my engineering work, but when I found myself looking for the next stage of my career in 2020, the stars aligned. I was still working as an Engineering Lead at a company making mostly outdoor antenna systems when I saw an opening at HARMAN and applied.

What is the most important thing you have learned over your career?

I think the most valuable asset a person can have, especially in engineering, is having learned how to learn. People are unique in the ways they learn best, and fastest. I like to say that I am a very experienced learner, having more or less switched careers completely multiple times.

Any other advice you would share with people just starting out in this industry?

Bring your passions with you! The best work environments are diverse and multi-faceted, and every project can benefit from a new take.

What are you most proud of in your life?

My collection of custom vehicles, which are all individual testaments to the incredible talents of my friends and collaborators. Each one tells a little story about a friendship.

When did you realize you had a passion for music or audio? Was there any one band, song, or movie that did it for you?

I was very lucky to be surrounded by music as a child. My parents both played the piano, and our home had a music room with what I considered to be an amazing 80s Hi-Fi system. I ended up playing brass instruments for a few years, but then got sucked into the world of digital music through OctaMED on the Amiga 500.

What current technology impresses you the most?

3D printing. We’ve gone from wild ideas to general household availability in just a decade, and it still amazes me.

Favorite music genre?

That’s going to be a toss-up between 80s new wave stuff and 90s/00s industrial. Don’t make me choose.

The desert island question, of course. If you were marooned for eternity and could listen to only three albums, what would they be?

This question is nigh impossible to answer, because one needs to take minutes per album into account!

Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – Cheek To Cheek
Tom Waits – Rain Dogs

You have the floor. In closing, tell us anything else you want us to know about yourself.

I’ve played classical guitar for 20 years and only know a single normal chord.