Starting in 2001, PoeCo’s owner served as the Sales Manager and later the Executive General Manager of the Optic Armor manufacturing plant. After a successful tenure running operations, he moved into technical education in 2011. Now retiring from teaching, he has combined his deep manufacturing knowledge with his current passion for Ford Transit DIY conversions. PoeCo was born out of a genuine belief in the product; it is led by a builder who knows the engineering inside and out, offering fellow converters access to the same high-performance glass he trusts for his own van projects.
PoeCo was founded on a specific mission: to bring true versatility to the DIY and van builder market. From his past experience, the founder realized that unlike standard glass, this technology allows for exceptional ease of customization, giving builders the freedom to configure the window space exactly how they need it. Knowing from firsthand experience that this adaptability was a "perfect fit" for the unique demands of van conversions, he felt compelled to share this solution with the community.
PoeCo partners exclusively with Optic Armor for all window production, leveraging a track record built in high-stress racing and industrial environments. This partnership is driven by the unique background of PoeCo’s founder.
With over 26 years of experience, Optic Armor has built a track record in high‑stress environments where failure is not an option—think race cars, off‑road machines, and industrial equipment windows that see constant vibration and impact. That same manufacturing discipline is applied to our Transit window line, giving you formed, CAD‑cut panels produced by a company that already knows how to build for speed, abuse, and long service life. By using a single, trusted manufacturing partner, every window in our system benefits from consistent materials, repeatable quality, and a process that has been proven in demanding real‑world applications.
Polycarbonate windows offer major advantages for adventure rigs and daily drivers because they are extremely impact resistant, much lighter than glass, and highly durable in rough conditions. They are far less likely to crack or shatter from rocks, branches, or trail debris, which adds a big safety and security benefit on the road and off-road. Unlike glass, polycarbonate can also be cut and shaped with ordinary workshop tools such as jigsaws, circular saws, and drills, making it easy to customize for fan cutouts, vents, and unique window openings in Ford Transit vans and Jeeps. This combination of strength, light weight, optical clarity, UV protection, and DIY-friendly fabrication makes polycarbonate an ideal window solution for custom van builds and off-road vehicles.
Key advantages of polycarbonate compared to glass for windows:
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Far higher impact resistance (often 200–250 times stronger than standard glass), so it is much less likely to crack or shatter from rocks, branches, or hail.
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Significantly lighter weight (around half to one‑sixth the weight of glass for similar panels), which reduces overall vehicle weight and makes handling and installation easier.
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Shatter‑resistant behavior: under impact it bends and deforms instead of breaking into sharp shards, greatly improving safety in crashes or off‑road use.
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Better design and fabrication flexibility: can be cut, drilled, and shaped with common tools, allowing custom window shapes, vents, and race/overland setups that are hard to do with glass.
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Superior impact performance over a wide temperature range and good resistance to harsh weather, making it suitable for exterior and automotive applications.
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Better thermal insulation than glass, helping reduce heat loss in cold weather and heat gain in hot weather.
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Can incorporate UV‑blocking additives and hard coatings, giving excellent UV protection and improved scratch and weather resistance when properly specified.
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Often lower installed cost when factoring in weight, handling, and reduced breakage, especially in demanding environments like motorsport, off‑road, and high‑use commercial settings.
Exclusively Optic Armor at PoeCo
Optic Armor has built its reputation on delivering high-performance polycarbonate windows with its origins in the racing world, where they developed them to withstand speeds over 260 mph and impacts that would shatter traditional glass. This heritage ensures that every window boasts exceptional quality, strength, crystal-clear optical clarity, and superior scratch and UV resistance, making it a favorite in motorsports. Beyond racing, Optic Armor has expanded into heavy equipment and transit vehicles, providing rugged, lightweight, and impact-resistant windows that endure the harshest work environments while improving operator safety and vehicle efficiency. Their products are trusted by industries demanding durability, from racing, construction and agriculture machinery to commercial vans and buses, proving their versatility and leadership in protective window technology— that's why PoeCo Poly Pro uses Optic Armor exclusively.