Patently Inventive
When customers have problems, Aero goes to the drawing board to find solutions
Aero Industries isn’t a leader in manufacturing tarp systems and transportation accessories simply because of its sales. It’s a leader because of its ideas. The company has filed more than 100 utility patents, consistently creating solutions that solve problems for its customers. Here are six of the many times Aero has invented new products that made truckers’ jobs easier.
Fitted tarps fit the bill
Fitted tarps were an improvement over the old flat variety because they helped customers keep their products dry. These customized products are an early example of Aero’s strategic approach to serving customers by developing innovative products.
Our innovation has covered a lot of roads. Check out the AeroForce S2S.
S2S tarps roll out
In 1965, Aero introduced the side-to-side roll tarp, a major breakthrough not only for Aero Industries but for the trucking industry. This ingenious system added a pipe that the tarp cover could be rolled around to cover and uncover the trailer as the driver turned a crank. The new invention made truck drivers’ lives easier, allowing them to cover loads in much less time.
Side kits add versatility
Aero introduced side kits in 1969, making flatbed trailers even more versatile. Side kits allowed a trucker to convert a flatbed into a dual-purpose trailer by adding sides to it through the use of posts and panels.
Shortie Roll Tarps protect products
In the mid-1970s, the Shortie Roll Tarp was introduced. Allegedly named after Jane Tuerk, the product featured metal caps on a trailer’s front and back to reduce tarp damage and smooth out the process of opening and closing them.
Easy street with the Easy Cover
The Easy Cover got its start in Aero’s Omaha branch in 1982 as a copy of a competitor’s product that was sold to the city. Aero improved the engineering with a patented crank mechanism, which allowed the Easy Cover to be operated one-handed as opposed to two-handed. The Easy Cover became one of Aero’s best-selling product lines for two decades.
Conestoga Changes the Game
The mid-1980s saw the introduction of what would become an important product line for Aero Industries: the Conestoga, the first sliding tarp system. Introduced in 1984, this groundbreaking invention could transform a flatbed trailer into a fully covered van in mere minutes.
