WINDSOR, ON — An American manufacturer of SmartWay-verified aerodynamic devices for trailers has set up shop in Canada. Aerofficient Canada, Inc. will be headquartered in Windsor, Ont. The company says increased demand prompted the expansion.

“The decision was made to open this new subsidiary so that we could better serve the high demand we’ve received from Canadian trucking companies," explains Jim Reiman, CEO of Aerofficient, based in Lincolnshire, Ill. "The demand was such that we determined that a local business versus a cross-border business was needed.

“Although trailer fairings are increasing in popularity in the U.S., Canadian fleets have been using them for quite a while now," says Reiman. "To meet their needs and to ensure that we can deliver to our Canadian customers the same superior service that we provide our American customers, creating a domestic Canadian company was necessary.”

Aerofficient’s fairings are produced, the company says, from an injection-moulded, automotive-grade, thermoplastic polyolefin material known for its high-performance properties and its ability to withstand thermal expansion and contraction caused by extremes of heat and cold. In addition, Aerofficient says the hinged, three-panel design of its trailer-skirt fairings provides the strength and flexibility necessary for survival in the real world of trucking, where drop-down docks, snowbanks, and other road and yard hazards often wreak havoc.

“We made our product to withstand the rigours of trucking, and our Canadian customers really put us to the test,” says Reiman.

Currently Aerofficient offers side-skirt fairings only, but soon to be introduced are a front-gap fairing and a collapsible rear fairing. They’re engineered and built in both the U.S. and Canada.

The side-skirt fairings have been designated by the EPA’s SmartWay program as an ‘Advanced Trailer Skirt’ estimated to generate at least 5 percent in fuel savings.