REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XStream Trucking, a design and engineering company focused on connected hardware for the commercial vehicle industry, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mitch Williams as Chief Operating Officer. His hire represents a significant milestone for XStream Trucking, as Williams brings more than two decades of industry experience to the organization, including a wealth of knowledge in scaling automotive technology. Williams’ purview will include overseeing product development, strategic technology investments, and managing an ongoing market strategy to continuously create value for XStream Trucking customers.
Williams brings 20 years of Class 8 experience both in the aftermarket and original equipment manufacturing (OEM) segments, including deep experience scaling up organizational sales, marketing, distribution, and manufacturing. Prior to joining XStream Trucking, Williams served as President and CEO of APR, an automotive engineering firm serving as one of the leading aftermarket tuners of Porsche, Audi, and Volkswagen vehicles in the world. While there, Williams focused on implementing software in order to extract and manipulate data to improve fuel efficiency and overall performance.
Prior to that, Williams spent 19 years at Hella, Inc., where he built the company into the number one brand in aftermarket lighting as President and CEO. Under his leadership, Williams grew sales from a few million to over $50 million and expanded the business in North America making it a market leader in the heavy trucking world and an early pioneer with aerodynamic technology. Overlapping with his time at Hella, Williams spent 12 years as the Chairman of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the largest automotive trade association in the world.
XStream Trucking also hired Benjamin Bowman as Vice President of Supply Chain and Quality. Bowman brings 20 years of experience in supply chain management, quality assurance and global sourcing. Bowman previously served as Global Sourcing Manager for the Rhinestahl Corporation, a designer and manufacturer of gas turbine engine and airframe tools for the aviation industry. He will oversee production quality and ensure XStream Trucking’s products are industry leaders in improving trucking aerodynamics.
"Mitch is a seasoned and trusted leader who has a proven track record of consistently delivering results and supporting sustainable company growth,” said Daniel Burrows, CEO of XStream Trucking. “Adding proven leaders like he and Ben will help us solidify our product quality and strengthen our customer relationships, operations and our overall business strategy. We’re eager to bring them onboard.”
Williams’ hire comes at a pivotal time for XStream Trucking, who recently announced a $10.5 million Series A funding round that will further advance development of cost-saving innovations for the $700 billion U.S. trucking industry. The company is best known for its flagship technology called TruckWings, an active-aero device that automatically closes the tractor-trailer gap on commercial trucks when the vehicle is at a certain speed to create an estimated fuel savings of between 4-6%. Technologies such as TruckWings offer a way for trucks to improve aerodynamics on the road and significantly decrease fuel spending that could save between $4-6 billion annually across the industry.
About XStream Trucking
Established in 2014, XStream Trucking supplies active aerodynamics to the long-haul trucking industry. Its flagship technology, TruckWings™, automatically closes the tractor-trailer gap, reducing a fleet’s fuel bill without requiring additional actions by the driver or any trailer modifications. Founded out of Stanford University, XStream Trucking has won awards in several DOE competitions including National CleanTech Awards and CalTech’s FLoW competition. TruckWings are currently deployed within carrier fleets that average more than one million miles per week. For more information visit: www.XStreamTrucking.com
Contact
Finn Partners on behalf of XStream Trucking
Katie Chrapla, 615-610-0321
XStreamtrucking@finnpartners.com