As the global specialist in pipeline mats and crawler crane mats, Ko-Mats GmbH has embraced the opportunities presented to it by the wind industry. It provides end-to-end solutions for many of the challenges that turbine logistics companies face, through a large stock of mats for sale or hire. We spoke to the company’s August Oude Hengel…
PES: Welcome to PES. Would you care to introduce your company and explain how you serve the wind power sector?
August Oude Hengel: Ko-Mats GmbH is a timber mat producer with two production units in the world. We have one based in Germany (Europe) and another in Guyana (Latin America). Timber mats are being used in different industries for weight spreading and providing temporary working roads and platforms for heavy machinery and crawler cranes.
In general, loads get heavier each day and the industry is transporting bigger and heavier pieces as time goes on. As this weight gets bigger, the peak load also increases, so timber mats are becoming a standard practice and used more frequently.
Timber mats are one of the best solutions for the temporary storage of windmill components in ports, construction sites and vessels, as well for the temporary working platforms for the crawler cranes and load spreading.
They are easy to handle, able to absorb huge weights and known for their high performance. We were recently involved on the wind energy park Dudson Sands in Ireland and are currently in the Cuxhaven (Germany).
PES: The monopiles used in offshore turbines are getting bigger by the year. How do your products cope with the massive forces involved?
AOH: Based on the properties of the different materials and their weight, contractors have a wide scope of different timber varieties. The physical properties of the timber species are the basis for the performance of the timber mats.
Depending on the duration of the project, the weight of the different materials and equipment, and how the mats should perform, one can choose anything from European softwoods up to tropical hardwood. We have built up a strong name for tropical hardwood mats, and enjoy an especially strong position worldwide. Furthermore, we can serve any continent with tropical timber mats as we ship them with containers. Our two different production locations offer huge shipment benefits from a cost point of view
PES: Let’s talk about preventing accidents. Can you explain a little about how your products help to improve dockside safety?
