XStream Trucking, a design and engineering company focused on connected hardware for the commercial vehicle industry, has appointed 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. In this new role, Williams will oversee product development, strategic technology investments and will manage 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 No. 1 brand in aftermarket lighting as president and CEO. Under his leadership, Williams grew sales from a few million to more than $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).
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 Corp., 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 on board.”
Williams’ hire comes at a pivotal time for XStream Trucking, as the company 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 to 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 billion to 6 billion annually across the industry.
