Nov 5, 2020 | Access Mats, News
In need of new sites access mats that are built to perform? Whether you’re in the oil & gas, petrochemical, or energy sector, there’s no doubt your job sites can benefit from reliable access solutions that allow you to conquer the Canadian wilderness and keep your project on track. Access mats, also known industry-wide as “swamp mats” are an invaluable resource that makes it easy to create makeshift roadways in less than ideal solutions to facilitate the safe transportation of materials to and from site. At GFI, we’re proud to be one of Canada’s top suppliers of CLT access/swamp mats, as well as your exclusive source for Sterling Solutions’ TerraLam® products. Our team is here to answer your many inquiries about all things access matting, including what the difference between access, swamp and rig mats are. Below we’ll talk a little bit about the main differences to be aware when choosing the right CLT product for your application. Read on to learn more!
Let’s Talk Phrasing
If you’re confused as to what the difference between access, rig, and swamp mats is, you’re not alone. In fact, one of the biggest sources of confusion amongst customers, and even professionals, is ensuring that everyone is on the same page when talking about a product. Because the matting industry tends to use all three terms interchangeably, it can be understandably difficult to figure out which is which, and more importantly, which one you need! To save you time and a few headaches, the following is a brief rundown of each category as defined by manufacturers:
Access Mats AKA Swamp Mats (commonly called Swamp Mats)
Access mats are the most widely used site access product and depending on the region you’re in, may be also referred to as a “swap mat”. Standard access mats are ideal for creating temporary roads and on-site infrastructure to facilitate the safe transportation of goods and equipment and can handle a wide range of weights.
Rig Mats
Rig mats specifically refer to any access mat designed to handle heavier loads, such as those found when handling a crane or rig. Rig mats usually feature a steel frame that reinforces the mat in order to prevent sudden breakages. As a result of these steel frames, rig mats tend to cost more, meaning that you’ll want to ensure you know exactly what you need prior to ordering to avoid sticker shock.
Why Choose CLT Mats Over Bolted Models
Created to be an innovative alternative to bolted mats, Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) mats have a wide range of benefits to consider. Such benefits include:
- High impact resistance and durability.
- 3-5 times the lifespan of bolted mats.
- Able to withstand the Canadian climate, all year round.
- Solid matting top reduces tripping hazards, as well as the tired damage to vehicles.
- Lower shipping costs due to the lightweight nature of the mats (25% more CLT mats can be shipped compared to bolted products per load), and more.
GFI Solutions is proud to be Canada’s only supplier of Sterling Solutions’ range of TerraLam® products, including both the 300 and 500 models mats, access bridges and more. Built from the highest quality Yellow Southern Pine wood fibres, which are up to 30% stronger than Douglas fir trees, TerraLam® CLT mats are bonded together with an environmentally friendly adhesive and distribute weight through the entire mat for superior performance. This translates to increased savings, better performance and a killer ROI that just can’t be beat.
Looking For Access Mats? GFI Solutions Is Here To Help
GFI’s team of experts is available for 24/7 support including sales and rentals all throughout Canada. Contact us now to learn more!
Oct 28, 2020 | Access Mats, News
Tired of spending a small fortune on renewing your access mat resources every job or two? Looking for a solution that you can depend on to stand the test of time without sudden breakages, bolt failures, and other complications? GFI Solutions is proud to be Canada’s exclusive provider of TerraLam®’s CLT line of matting solutions. Designed to be lighter in weight while offering superior performance to traditional bolted mats, CLT mats help address many of the concerns site managers have with regards to premature damage and mat replacement.
As a full turn-key service provider, we partner with clients across Canada for their many site access needs, including helping them care for their matting to ensure a reliable lifecycle that nets you optimal ROI. Below, we’ll explore four easy ways you can extend the lifetime of access mats, as well as share more of the benefits of choosing CLT mats. Read on to learn more!
The Right Fit Matters
As any experienced site manager and project engineer will know, choosing the right kind of access mat for your specific application can quite literally make or break where your makeshift roadways are concerned. While many of the options on the market today are quite versatile in their weight ranges (especially where CLT mats are concerned), ensuring you have durable matting becomes a particular concern where heavy-duty applications like rigging, construction, or any other applications where heavy equipment is concerned. Choosing the right mat will help to eliminate the risk of unnecessary strain being placed on the mats, which helps to reduce wear and tear, even with higher traffic levels going in and out of site.
Installation and Orientation Of Mats
Access mats may be fairly straight forward to install, but knowing that you have everything laid exactly as it needs to be saves you peace of mind both where safety and product durability is concerned. Partnering with a full-scale provider like GFI gives you access to our installation team, who will happily deliver right to your site and offer same day setup Canada Wide. This means there’s no need to worry about any “whoops” moments down the line, and that your mats will be set up for success right from day one.
Travel Speeds And Tracking
Even though your mats are built to withstand the demands of heavy traffic travelling through your site, implementing a lower speed limit for haulers going in and out will help to reduce strain, especially where heavy loads are concerned. Set a pace that’s conducive to workplace safety, as well as factors in protecting your assets in the process.
Secondarily, while corked tracks on equipment are great off-road, day in and day out exposure can be rough on access mats. Try to reduce the travel of corked tracks where possible.
Clean Between Jobs
Mat washing isn’t just an important practice for safety standards (though it certainly plays a huge role), but can also greatly extend the lifecycle of your mats. GFI Solutions offers site washing remotely as well as at our yards across Canada for your convenience.
CLT Mats: Your Lifecycle Champion
Designed to improve upon the many challenges presented by traditional bolted mats, CLT matting is lighter (up to 40%), stronger, and lasts longer (3 to 5 times longer) than its bolted counterparts. CLT mats are created using a distinct process that involves bonding alternating perpendicular layers of Southern Yellow Pine wood together with a special adhesive, which allows for increased flexibility and even weight distribution. Additional advantages of CLT mats include:
- High impact resistance
- Suitable for use in extreme conditions, include heat and cold
- Solid matting top reduces tripping hazards, as well as the tired damage to vehicles
- Reduced shipping costs due to the lightweight nature of the mats (more CLT mats can be shipped compared to bolted products), and more.
TerraLam® CLT Mats at GFI Solutions
As Western Canada’s leading source for access mat solutions, GFI is proud to carry the best products available on the market. We are a distributor for Sterling Solutions’ range of TerraLam® products, including their 300 and 500 model access mats, access bridges, and more. To better suit all your site access needs, GFI offers full-scale turnkey support including sales, rentals, delivery and installation, mat washing and more. Find out more about CLT mats by contacting our team today!
Oct 22, 2020 | Access Mats, News
Whether you’re in the oil and gas, construction, or related heavy fields, you’re no doubt aware of the strains that heavy equipment can put on the landscape and vice versa. When it comes to protecting your rigs, cranes, and even your crew, rig mats play a vital role in helping to reduce damage and providing a safe, stable platform for your operations. GFI Solutions is proud to be Canada’s leading supplier of CLT access mats and is your exclusive source for TerraLam® products from Sterling Solutions. Known for their exceptional quality and long-lasting matting, TerraLam® is Sterling Solutions’ latest in a continued line of innovative site access products. Made with high-quality Southern Yellow Pine, TerraLam® mats offer unbeatable durability and strength that protect your bottom line. Learn more about the benefits of CLT rig mats below.
It’s Time To Make A Change
Fed up with the cost and frustrations associated with using traditional bolted rigging mats? As one of the most recent additions to the site access industry, Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) mats are now the preferred solution for leaders in the oil & gas, construction, chemical, infrastructure, and related sectors. CLT mats stand above old school competitors thanks to their lighter weight profile (up to 40% less than traditional mats), massive savings where shipping is concerned (up to 25% more units can be shipped per load), and a life cycle that is 3-5 times longer than bolted mats. Built to withstand the demands on cranes and more, you can count on TerraLam®’s 500 line to have your heavy-duty access matting needs covered.
CLT Mats Lead The Way
CLT mats are distinct from bolted rig mats due to their unique construction and design profile. Where bolted mats, as the name suggests, are created by bolting combinations of wood together and then adding a steel frame for rigging purposes, CLT mats are made by bonding alternating perpendicular layers of Southern Yellow Pine wood with an environmentally safe adhesive. This results in a lighter and more flexible profile that is able to bend with each load to prevent sudden breakages.
Thanks to the strength of Southern Yellow Pine (up to 30% more than Douglas fir) CLT Access Mats are among the best available on the market and backed by the reputation for excellence held by its manufacturer, Sterling Solutions. The 500 series models are capable of standing up to a wide range of heavy applications, including acting as a foundation for cranes, and more.
Results You Can Trust
In addition to their one of a kind structure, CLT mats offer multiple other benefits, including:
- High impact resistance
- Glue lamination and wax sealed on all 4 edges makes it easier to repel moisture and rot.
- Suitable for use in extreme conditions, including heat and cold
- Solid matting top reduces tripping hazards, as well as the tire damage to vehicles
- Cheaper to ship due to the lightweight nature of the mats (more CLT mats can be shipped compared to bolted products), and more.
CLT Rig Mats and More at GFI Solutions
GFI Solutions is proud to be Canada’s only source for TerraLam® products. We carry both the 300 and 500 as well as Sterling Solutions’ access bridges and more. Designed with the utmost of quality in mind, TerraLam® solutions embody the many benefits of CLT mats, right down to the superior performance and longevity. Our team of experts offer 24/7 support for all your site access needs. Contact us today to learn more!
Oct 22, 2020 | Access Mats, News
Are you in need of heavy-duty site access solutions that can handle the rugged Canadian landscape, changing weather patterns, and the demand for heavy equipment travelling over the top of your makeshift road day in and day out? Frustrated with the shipping costs and challenges presented by traditional bolted mats? It’s time to join some of the biggest players in the Oil & Gas, Petroleum, and Construction sectors and make the switch to CLT rig mats.
GFI Solutions is Canada’s leading provider of site access products and services and is your exclusive source for TerraLam® CLT access mats, including their 500 series rig and crane mats. We’re proud to offer customers across the nation access to our turnkey services including mat rental and sales, delivery and installation, and more. Learn more about TerraLam® crane mats, as well as GFI’s rental solutions, below.
CLT Access Mats: Lighter, Tougher, Stronger
It’s no secret that oak bolted mats were once the industry staple where rig and crane matting needs were concerned. While these steel-framed mats can offer decent performance, many customers are now growing frustrated with the heavy costs associated with hauling, as well as the mats’ tendency to breakdown rapidly past a certain age point.
To address these concerns and provide a more viable option, Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) were created and have since taken over as the leading choice by many engineers and project managers. In addition to weighing up to 40% less than standard bolted mats and offering a life cycle that is 3-5 times the length, CLT mats are extremely flexible, which makes them ideal for heavy applications as required by rig and crane operations. Best of all, you can expect to garner huge savings where shipping is concerned as the lighter weight of each mat means you can haul up to 25% more mats per load.
How It Works
The secret to the success of CLT matting comes down to their unique design and construction process. Unlike traditional mats, which are crafted from various woods like oak or other mixtures and then bolted together, CLT mats are created by bonding alternating perpendicular layers of wood (Southern Yellow Pine) together with an environmentally safe adhesive. This method makes CLT flexible and able to disperse heavy loads without sudden failures, which in turn helps to mitigate the risk of costly replacements mid-way through your project.
Meet GFI Solutions, Your Source For Site Access and More
GFI is proud to be one of Canada’s most trusted sources for site access solutions. Our team knows how important it is to have solutions available round the clock, and offers 24/7 rental and sales support as well as Canada-wide delivery and installation for your convenience. Whether you’re looking to test out the durability of CLT mats before buying or need to replace failing mats in the interim, GFI is here to help. Contact our team today to learn more.
Oct 14, 2020 | Access Mats, News
Grande Prairie Access Mats at GFI Solutions
Does your Grande Prairie operation need reliable site access solutions to help keep transport on track? Tackle the Albertan landscape with GFI Solutions. As one of Canada’s leading suppliers of CLT access mats, as well as site access services, GFI makes it easier than ever to overcome challenges presented by the environment and keep your job site safe. GFI is proud to be Canada’s only source for Sterling Solutions’ range of TerraLam® access mats, which lead the industry in performance and quality.
Learn more about TerraLam® CLT mats, as well as GFI below.
CLT Access Mats: Lighter, Flexible, Made to Endure
Looking for site access solutions that are free from the common complications faced with traditional bolted mats? While bolted mats have been a trusted staple for many years, the industry has demanded better, lighter weight solutions that are able to outperform and address the issues found with older models. CLT mats address many of the frustrations faced by project managers in heavy industries while weighing in at approximately 40% less than standard bolted mats. CLT mats also last 3-5 times longer than bolted mats, and allow you to ship up to 25% more per load for added savings. Additional benefits include:
- Almost doubling hauling capacity when mobilizing due to lightweight profile.
- Twice the strength of a traditional bolted mat.
- Adhesive lamination and wax sealer on all 4 edges makes it easier to repel moisture and rot.
- Suitable for use in extreme conditions, include heat and cold.
- Lack of bolts means less tire damage to transport vehicles.
What Makes CLT Mats Unique?
The core of CLT mats’ superior performance lies in their composition and method of construction. Unlike traditional bolted mats, Cross-Laminated Timber mats are created by gluing alternating perpendicular layers of wood together with an environmentally safe adhesive. This allows the mat to gently flex under each load, and evenly distribute the weight across the entire surface, which reduces the strain and shock of heavy loads. This means you can confidently use CLT mats for heavy applications without fear of sacrificing performance.
GFI Solutions: Grande Prairie’s First Choice For Site Access Solutions
With multiple yards throughout Canada including offices in Whitecourt, AB, Edmonton, Calgary, and Grande Prairie, GFI Solutions is here to ensure our clients always have access to matting solutions. Our team offers customers across Canada 24/7 support for sales and rentals, as well as site access services including inventory management, mat washing, expedited delivery installation and more. Contact our team today to learn more.
Oct 14, 2020 | Access Mats, News
Are you in need of access matting that can stand up to the demands of the heavy industrial sector? Rig and crane mats are a vital resource for those in the oil & gas, petroleum, construction and related industries. Built to withstand the toughest of applications, rig mats are incredibly versatile and can be used for everything from forming temporary roads, pipeline terminals, preventing heavy equipment from sinking into the mud, and more. GFI Solutions is proud to be a leading supplier of site access solutions across Canada with an inventory that features exclusive access to Sterling Solutions’ range of TerraLam® products. As the world’s largest producer of access matting solutions, Sterling is known for exceptional quality and unbeatable performance, and TerraLam® CLT mats are no exception. Built from the highest quality Southern Yellow Pine planks, TerraLam®’s 500 models are perfect for heavy-duty applications. Learn more about the benefits of rig matting, as well as TerraLam® products, below!
What Are Rig Mats?
Though rig mats may be part of the site access solution family, they typically have a much more demanding job than standard mats. While both rig mats typical access mats are used to create roads and facilitate easy transport materials to and from a job site, rig mats are reserved for heavy loads and projects that require mats that can stand up to wear and tear, heavy machinery, and constant strain. In order to meet these standards, rig mats need to be sturdy, dependable, and long-lasting.
Why Use Rig Mats
As mentioned above, rig mats are ideal for the many challenges that are unique to heavy industrial purposes. Rig matting allows you to build structural roadways over gas lines, oil sources, or other areas that pose a challenge to your transportation resources., it can do much more for your project. For drilling rigs and other projects that involve heavy equipment, rig mats are also ideal as they allow you to support the intense weight without the fear of cracking or failure.
Meet TerraLam®
Sterling Solutions’ TerraLam® mats are made using the innovative Cross-Laminated Timber technique that involves bonding alternating perpendicular layers of wood together with adhesive. This process allows CLT mats to flex with each load and evenly distribute weight across the entire surface, reducing strain and preventing breakages. As CLT mats, TerraLam® mats are 40% less than traditional bolted mats, and offer the following benefits:
- A lifespan that lasts 3-5 times longer than bolted mats.
- Almost doubling hauling capacity when mobilizing due to their lightweight. (Save time and money on shipping)
- Twice the strength of a traditional bolted mat.
- Adhesive lamination and wax sealer on all 4 edges repels moisture and rot.
- Suitable for use in extreme conditions, include heat and cold.
- Lack of bolts means less tire damage to transport vehicles.
With the 500 model built to stand up to the demands faced by rig and crane matting, you can rest at ease knowing you have the best solution for the job at hand.
Rig Mats at GFI
GFI is proud to be your first choice for site access solutions and maintains multiple yards throughout Canada including offices in Whitecourt, AB, Edmonton, Calgary, and Grande Prairie. Our team offers customers across Canada 24/7 support for sales and rentals, as well as site access services including inventory management, mat washing, expedited delivery installation and more. Contact our team today to learn more.
