Looking for higher yields?
Comfort slat mats for your herds
Over 15 years of experience
The benefits of using the innovative Comfort Slat Mat have been proven by farmers throughout Europe and the USA. These benefits have also been substantiated by reports from leading agricultural academic institutions like DLG (Germany) and Wageningen University. (The Netherlands). The mats can be used on concrete slats or on a 122mm wooden slat. (for veal).
Important to know is that the opening of the gap will be reduced by 7-10mm. This means that you have to keep this in mind when buying new slats. It is an option to trim existing slats with a trimming machine in order to get the right width of the beams and to get a larger opening if needed. See movie.
Some advantages of the Comfort Slat Mat
This mat with an air-cushioned design is softer than the traditional rubber slat mats. The slightly curved surface keeps animals dryer and cleaner. The mats also wont come up after time, so there wont be any dirt underneath the mats.
Less injuries of tails and less lameness compared to traditional concrete slats. Animals also go more often for feed intake to the bunker achieving better weight gains.
The mats are easy to install without screws or adhesives. Just clips down. The surface also barely has any wear, which leads to increased durability.
A dryer floor is giving less emissions of ammonia and methane. Urease activity proven to be reduced by Wageningen university. See reports here.
Ask your dealer for references or see movies on the internet. See Impressions.
Notes on our product
- Mats available for concrete slats width from 119 mm up to 200 mm. See available
mats on list here. - For white veal operations are special hard wood slats available. Mor info: Contact us.
- Tolerances on the width of the slats can not be too big. See listing of available mat
sizes. List here. - We can advise in case you are looking for new slats. We have experience with several slat manufacturers. More info: Contact us.
History
The company “ ICE Comfort Slat Mats” is a subsidiary of “Irish Custom Extruders Ltd (ICE)” based in Dublin. ICE was established in 1984 to design and manufacture specialised extrusions for the construction, automotive, refrigeration and other industries.
In 2002 ICE started considerable research into the development of a mat for slats. It was a long process to establish the best raw materials suitable for this application. Extensive research, production trialling and finally in field testing in farms was done to ensure their suitability and durability. All-in-all, this design and development process took about 5 years. The first mats were aimed at the housing of beef cattle which was the main application in Ireland.
The mats were first exhibited in 2006 at the Kildalton Agricultural Show in Kilkenny. In 2009 the mat became winner of the Ulster bank Green achievers award. A nice video telling the history of this mat was made for this occasion. See: About Comfort Slat Mat UB.VOB – YouTube
In 2008 Jelle Nauta became business partner for comfort slat mats in the Netherlands. Many ammonia emission measurements were realised by WUR (Wageningen University & Research) with the support of Jelle. Many large barns for dairy and veal have been equipped with mats since then.
From 2020 Jelle became also responsible for sales in Belgium, Luxemburg, France and Germany. This website wants to give all relevant information how the comfort slat mats can contribute in animal welfare combined with better technical results on your farm. Happy cows makes happy farmers.
F.A.Q.
No, Comfort Slat Mat is made from virgin engineering grade plastics that are designed for a combination of comfort, wear and durability. All materials are non-toxic. Mats are custom designed for each farm and all mats have individual an identification per each metre of length for the purpose of traceability.
Other slat mats are made of one material which is hard and often flat. Rubber (natural or synthetic) has air incorporated giving the comfort to the product. Air expands or shrinks according temperature going up or down. This can result in mats coming up what again can result in dirt getting under the mats. Dirt under mats will result in a broken mats after a certain period.Our Comfort Slat Mats are made from three different materials that encompasses resilience, softness, durability & grip , which combined with the unique curved surface ensures that:A significant reduction in injuries & lameness in animals is achieved by the cored centre of the mat with its ‘Super-soft’ interior.The urine from the animals is speedily dispatched to the slurry tank below-keeping the animals dryer and cleaner.The mat promotes a healthy feeding cycle resulting in more production of beef or milk.The chemically-resistant, high -wear skin on the mat combined with the “super-soft feel’ from its centre, combines to give excellent wear characteristics.As the mat fits down over the slat, the gap is reduced by the thickness of the side- wall of the mat (3-5mm) on either side. In some situations this can be an advantage if young animals are placed on slats for adult animals.We believe that the combination of the above provides a healthier environment for animals and humans.
Yes the mat has been tested by a German organisation called DLG. See downloads for Signum test report 5991.
Smallest mat available now is for a width of 118 mm. The mat can be made in every length. Download list of available sizes here.
No, we make the mats according your dimensions and notching is done in our production. Only when you have unforeseen situations (posts or cornerwheel) mats can be made to fit. See manual.
Yes, this mat is especially designed with a ‘Spring loaded grip’ mechanism to hold the mat in place. It is important to have the correct sizing of the mat to suit the slat and to have slats with no sharp edges. The base of the mat is made from robust & rigid material to ensure that the mat stays in place. We have now 15 years experience and our first users do still have the mats in use.
Most definitely not. Comfort Slat Mat fits snugly over the slat & will not spread or distort, so that the original gap between the slats is maintained.
ICE Comfort slat mats warrants that all mats it supplies will meet the applicable product specifications and will be free from defects in material and workmanship at the time of shipment from I.C.E.C.S.M. and for 5 years thereafter. If there are defects in the material, and/or workmanship during this period from the date of delivery/installation, I.C.E.C.S.M. will supply replacement mats on a linear depreciation basis dependent on useful life already provided, ex factory subject to the conditions as stated hereunder. See for more information Manual in section downloads.
Yes you can. If you contact your agent or send a mail to us we can arrange a visit to a farm. We believe that existing customers are our best sales people and you can obtain the benefit of their experience in helping you to reach your decision.
The mat is designed for the hoof going in to the mat (thanks to the build in air chambers) giving grip to the animal.
I found that the animals were much happier on the mats and where previously we would have had animals injured and lame when housed on slats, we had no injuries or lame animals after a full season on the mats.
Nigel Byrne, Drumagh, Crettyard, Co. Carlow