Supreme Industries has introduced a new lighter-weight truck body wall that is available on its Van Body and Iner-City truck bodies.
The FiberPanel HC is built with a durable, fiberglass-reinforced, gel-coated honeycomb side wall material. The side wall reduces the overall weight of the truck body to increase payload capacity and possibly fuel efficiency, Supreme said.
A 14 ft. Supreme Signature Van Body with FiberPanel HC side walls with a composite rear roll-up door weighs 288 lbs. less than a comparable size truck built with standard Fiberlgass Reingorced Plywood (FRP) side wall materials, the company noted.
“Reducing operating costs is always a priority for our work truck owners and increasing your payload can decrease the delivered cost per pound of each load. Supreme truck bodies built with FiberPanel HC side walls can provide owners with a distinct economic benefit,” said Mark Weber, CEO.
Supreme used technology developed for the aerospace and automotive industries. The honeycomb structure is one favored by industries building flat or slightly curved surfaces that require a high strength-to-weight ratio, it said. Also, the polypropylene core does not absorb moisture, keeping the side walls safe from water damage, allowing for an extended life, compared to traditional side wall materials.
“Our engineers with the Tower Structural Laminating division designed FiberPanel HC to be light, strong, and tough. It was built to increase capacity, lowering your overall operating costs, and giving you everything you need in a truck body side wall that’s built to last,” said Weber.
