CALGARY — In order to cash in on Western Canada’s booming sectors, one of Canada’s largest contractor van and truck outfitters is setting up shop in Calgary.

Van-Terior Outfitters Inc. (Vanteriors) expects to open a new 25,000 sq. ft. facility next month. While the company already has dealers in the West, “what was missing for us was someone in the light duty truck market that had the [Transport Canada] National Safety Mark, which is important for some of the programs that we have with Ford and General Motors,” reports Jim Daku, national marketing manager.

The new facility will address the ever-increasing needs of trade vehicle customers in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan, he adds.

Over 16,000 pickup trucks were sold in the region last year, double the number sold in Ontario. The company currently offers an extensive line of shelving packages, ladder racks, safety partitions, toolboxes, etc. along with a full installation service for trucks and vans from its 52,000 sq. ft. plant in Mississauga, Ont.

The new facility will result in quicker delivery times, reduced transportation costs and greater installation capability in the West, says Daku. And it will take the pressure of the Ontario plant. “We were pushing the limit of our capacity here. It was either expand this building or move into Alberta where we handle vehicles into the market on a ship-through basis. We decided to go and handle them on a local basis… What we’re trying to do is take what we have here and replicate it out there.”

The holder of a National Safety Mark (NSM) is allowed to make certain modifications to a vehicle between the factory and the dealer. Ford and GM require it for warranty coverage and to participate in their ship-through program in which a contractor orders fully outfitted vehicles through his local dealer. (They are shipped from the factory to Vanteriors for outfitting and then to the dealer for delivery to the contractor.)

The NSM is also required to participate in special factory offers. Currently, for example, GM is offering a $2,200 basic outfitting package with the purchase of a new van.

“The beauty of this type of growth is that while workplace van and truck modification programs are currently available in the local and surrounding market, no major manufacturer at our level of capability — and with a National Safety Mark — has a facility of this type in Western Canada. This is truly a unique opportunity for Vanteriors,” says Daku.

The new facility will be located at 404 Meridan Road N.E. Western customers can reach Vanteriors at (403) 272-7073 or toll free at 1-800-668-7942.