Sterling Inc. Plant Tour
Staff from Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc. and West Virginia University’s Appalachian Hardwood Center recently toured the Sterling Inc. cross-laminated timber mat plant in Phoenix, IL.
Sterling has been an industrial hardwood production and distribution company for 70 years. It has sold millions of hardwood road and crane mats and pier materials across the U.S.
Company executive Carter Sterling hosted the group and explained its latest process, gluing southern yellow pine into CLT crane mats. The process surfaces the rough lumber, aligns boards in layers, applies glue and then presses three- and five-ply panels.
The plant can produce one mat every minute and the product is widely accepted by construction and gas exploration companies.
