Aero Transportation Products, Inc. (“ATP”) was originally incorporated under a different name as a general-purpose manufacturer of molded plastics and fiberglass truck parts. Since 1983, ATP has focused on component parts for railroad freight cars, primarily covering systems and discharge gates for covered hopper grain cars. Covered hopper cars are used by railroads and shippers to transport bulk commodities such as grain, cement, fertilizer, plastics, chemicals, sugar and other foodstuffs.
ATP has 2 manufacturing plants. The Independence, Missouri plant includes hatch cover manufacturing and the company’s general offices in 90,000 sq. ft. of leased space. The Independence facility is unique in that it is located totally underground in a large industrial park of several million sq. ft. that was formerly a limestone mine. Truck and rail serve the park and ATP’s space. The underground space was selected for the year round constancy of its temperature and humidity, variables that need to be controlled in ATP’s high-volume fiberglass lamination manufacturing process. The hopper car outlet gate product line and ATP’s other general metal fabrication products are manufactured by the company in its owned 100,000 sq. ft. McPherson, Kansas plant. Both of ATP’s manufacturing plants are modern, well equipped and highly automated facilities that put priorities on worker safety and product quality. Both operations have proven capacity to meet the heavy requirements of the railcar building industry during periods of peak demand. ATP’s plants also carry large stocks of replacement parts to promptly serve the repair and maintenance requirements of the existing hopper car fleet.
ATP is well known in the rail industry and to shippers for its willingness to do research and development leading to new product innovation. Several of the company’s products and concepts were developed in close cooperation with shippers and have been patented. Patented products include ATP’s Quantum line of batten bar free hatch covers, its covering systems for railcars in food grade service, its automatic locking and unlocking system for outlet gates and its “Grid Core” panel technology. The company has also done specialized design work involving coil car covers, aerodynamic drag reducing devices for coal cars, large dual opening lids for intermodal waste container boxes and self-opening cover systems for hopper cars.
The company’s products are sold in the United, States, Canada, Mexico, India and Brazil.