Summary: Over the last year, forward-looking customers have analyzed mat requirements by using strength characteristics rather than dimension. These customers have discovered they can get the same quality mat but at lower cost by using a Eucalyptus timber mat with greater shear and bending strength, generating significant operational savings. Read the Introduction.
Specific Solutions: Here are some practical examples of how using dollars per unit bending strength (Fb) can generate savings:
Customers who are looking for strength equivalence could consider a 6.75” Eucalyptus timber mat, which is equivalent to an 8” mixed hardwood mat, saving approximately 10-15% in fiber costs before considering savings from a longer life and lower transport cost.
For customers looking for an alternative to buying used 8” mats, consider the 6.75” Eucalyptus mat. Pricing would be a little more expensive but the cash on cash return for choosing a new Eucalyptus 6.75” mat vs. a Grade A mixed hardwood mat is 100+% as a result of a doubling in mat longevity.
Where machinery weights are lighter, such as integrity, power line, or solar installations an 8” mixed hardwood mat might be overkill. Customers can use a 6” Eucalyptus mat, which has approximately the same bending strength as a 7.2” mixed hardwood mat and costs about the same as a Grade A mixed hardwood mat with double the life expectancy.
And, for those users who also have heavy lift requirements, a 10” Eucalyptus crane mat is equivalent in bending strength to a 12” mixed hardwood mat. The fiber savings is about 16%.
Finally, some customers will be more comfortable with a standard 8” Eucalyptus mat knowing that they are getting a much stronger and longer-lived mat than a mixed hardwood mat. Up front pricing will be similar to mixed hardwoods, but total cost of ownership will be about 33% lower because of longer life.
There are many other examples.
Because the current conditions may extend over a multi-year period total cost of ownership is an important measure for any mat. Most customers will find that Eucalyptus provides a substantially lower total cost of ownership for two reasons:
- It’s lighter than mixed hardwoods so every time you move a mat you save money and reduce your cost basis compared to mixed hardwoods.
- It’s stronger so it will last longer, and because it’s the same mat, just better materials there are no custom handling requirements.
There are two other advantages that are hard to quantify. Eucalyptus mats are stronger, uniform, and standardized so they are safer. And, Eucalyptus is a sustainable wood supply, the use of which not only protects USA native hardwood forests, but which also sequester more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than mixed hardwood forests because of their higher growth rate.
Conclusion: By specifying strength and durability rather than thickness and dimension, mat users can save money, and receive a better quality, standardized, longer lasting Eucalyptus timber mat.
Read Backup Data.
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