Timber Mats

History matters because, “people have been buying ‘a mat’ for so long now, they don’t remember what they used to buy.”

Mats were adopted primarily to increase productivity. Now most mats decrease productivity and increase downtime. One solution is Eucalyptus timber mats, which give uptime and productivity control back to users. 

1. Beginning of Innovation. A single producer creates high quality mats, becoming the de facto standard. Early adopters see big productivity gains from increased uptime, managing more jobs per time and labor. Mats are an obvious win since uptime savings pay for the mats many times over.

2. Expansion of Matting Sector. Many new producers copy the innovator using cheaper materials and no real standard besides low cost copying.

3. Decline of US Raw Materials. Quality of US sourced raw materials drops steadily over decades.

4. More Low-Quality Producers + Declining Materials = Lower Quality Mats. Combination leads to decreased uptime, fewer jobs per time/labor. Mats become vilified, workplaces more dangerous with more accidents and fines.

5. Innovation Again. New materials and standardized manufacturing attempt to regain the original uptime gains. Adopters of the newest mats see increased uptime again, paying for the mats.

6. Regulation begins. Producers write the rules. Regulations mandate mats, but with no quality standards beyond dimensions. Regulatory capture by mat producers.

7. New Opportunities from Mats. Allowed work in new environments, expanding business opportunities. Provided flexibility in approach (e.g. barges vs tracked vehicles).

In summary, innovation created a standard and gains, followed by decline. Now innovation and standards can bring back the original benefits of increased productivity, safety, and flexibility.