We manufacture ALIMATS®, our patented modular aluminium crane mat system, in Little Eaton, Derbyshire — and we ship it a long way from home. Two of those orders have crossed continents: a completed export shipment to an offshore oil and gas company in Qatar, and another to an integrated logistics company in Angola. Both were placed, built and delivered.
They sit alongside a steadily widening spread of overseas enquiries, and they tell us what we already hear on UK sites every week — that a crane mat you can carry by hand and trust to spread load predictably solves a problem the industry has been putting up with for far too long.
Qatar: an offshore oil and gas operator
We shipped ALIMATS to an offshore oil and gas company in Qatar. Sites like these are exactly where our thinking on ground protection earns its keep — heavy plant working on ground that was never engineered to take it, inside hazardous-area restrictions, and around a live operation that can't be shut down every time a maintenance or construction job needs doing.
That combination puts a premium on protection that goes down fast, carries a known and dependable load rating, and can be positioned by hand rather than waiting on a crane or telehandler to move it. ALIMATS is handleable in precisely that way — two people can lift and place a section, no heavy plant needed — which is why it suits an operator that has to keep production running while the work happens around it.
Angola: an integrated logistics company
We also shipped ALIMATS to an integrated logistics company in Angola. Logistics operations move heavy freight, plant and equipment across ground that changes character from one site to the next — yards, laydown areas, temporary access routes — rarely with engineered hardstanding everywhere it's needed.
A modular aluminium mat that can be handled without plant, then lifted, moved and redeployed as the operation shifts, is worth far more in that setting than a heavy timber or steel mat that ties up a machine every time it has to move. Load spread where the ground is weak, handled by hand where access is tight — that is the job ALIMATS was built to do.
Part of a wider pattern
Qatar and Angola aren't outliers. We've taken genuine enquiries for ALIMATS from Brazil, Australia, Egypt, Argentina, the UAE, Japan, Germany, France, Spain and Belgium — a spread we look at more closely in our guide to crane mats for Middle East megaprojects.
Wherever a crane has to set up on unpredictable ground, the same case holds: a mat that spreads load reliably and moves without a second machine beats the heavy, plant-dependent alternatives the industry has defaulted to for decades. We deliver ALIMATS across the UK, 24/7, and we're building out the export side of the business to meet that demand wherever in the world it lands.
Frequently asked questions
Has Brilliant Ideas actually exported ALIMATS outside the UK?
Yes. We've completed two export shipments so far: one to an offshore oil and gas company in Qatar, and one to an integrated logistics company in Angola. Both orders were placed, built in Derbyshire and delivered.
Why would an offshore oil and gas operator use ALIMATS?
Offshore and process energy sites run heavy plant on ground that was never engineered for it, inside hazardous-area restrictions and around a live operation. ALIMATS goes down fast, carries a dependable load rating, and can be positioned by hand with no heavy plant needed, so the work can happen without shutting production down.
Why would a logistics company use ALIMATS?
Logistics yards, laydown areas and temporary access routes rarely have engineered hardstanding everywhere it's needed. A modular aluminium mat that spreads load on weak ground and can be handled and redeployed by two people, without tying up a machine, keeps freight and plant moving as the operation shifts around the site.
Which other countries have enquired about ALIMATS?
Alongside Qatar and Angola, we've had genuine enquiries from Brazil, Australia, Egypt, Argentina, the UAE, Japan, Germany, France, Spain and Belgium. Wherever cranes set up on unpredictable ground, the case for ALIMATS is the same.
Are the Qatar and Angola shipments tied to a named megaproject?
No — we know the sector and country for each client, but neither shipment is attached to a named project.
What is ALIMATS, for readers new to it?
ALIMATS is our patented, modular aluminium crane mat system, made from 6005A alloy in configurations from 1.34m2 to 8.07m2. It carries a safe working load of up to 80 tonnes, independently verified with a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers, and comfortably supports cranes up to 150 tonnes. Sections can be handled by two people without plant, and mats are available to hire or buy with 24/7 UK delivery.