SFTec had the pleasure of speaking with some of the team members from Groupe Kilo. Rick Fraij, Sales Manager, and Dr. Ahmed Salama, Structural Engineer, from SFTec spoke with Robert Williamson, Vice President and Project Director, and Sylvain Lalonde, Junior Engineer, Project manager and Estimator, to learn more about their experience with our products.
A Little bit about Groupe Kilo
Groupe Kilo is a general contractor, specialized in civil works, mainly in concrete and asphalt works that can be institutional, commercial, or household jobs. According to Lalonde, Groupe Kilo caters to “everyone”, small contracts and big contracts too.
A project, a partnership and an exceptional product
When asked about their recent work with the city of Montreal, Mr. Sylvain Lalonde was happy to elaborate: “The project was to build the foundations for salt domes to protect against the salt during the winter[…]. The idea was to dig for the foundation footing, and […] build the walls, the slab, and the upper walls, afterwards, for the installation of the dome. Therefore, for the purpose of this project, a composite reinforcement was required to resist the corrosive aspect of the abrasive salt.”
While the project started to come together, Groupe Kilo received an email from SFTec informing them of their products and services. After a few clicks and thorough research, Groupe Kilo knew that FRP bars were the answer to their problem and SFTec were the means to their solution.
“It was our first time working with SFT-Bar, and it was really something,” explains Lalonde. “The most special part about it was realizing, when we received the bars, how light they were and how easy they were to transport compared to standardized galvanized steel rods. It’s really a big advantage: a light product that can easily be moved around at the job site.”
The Application of SFT-Bar
What are the other advantages of using SFT-Bar? The SFTec team dug deeper to find out more about the added value. According to the Groupe Kilo team, they were able to cut down on installation time by 20-25% when using SFT-Bar compared to conventional steel bars.
“When we used the long length bars, that are around 6 meters/20 feet with steel rods, the bar would go down on one end due to its heavy weight”, described Lalonde. “That’s why it would take 2 men to install 1 bar and make sure it is clipped to the other bars in the middle. But with the composite bars, it’s so light, only 1 person is needed. They can just transport it, pinch it, and then clip it to the other bars because they can lift it and it stays up.”
Final Words
The SFTec team wrapped up the interview by asking Groupe Kilo what recommendation they would make to the interested customers who are considering using SFT-Bar in their future projects? Here was their answer:
“Consider using SFT-Bar for any civil work that is susceptible to corrosion or salt exposure. It is a great solution for concrete reinforcement because it is really light and quick to install. In fact, it’s even preferred when it is raining because it is not electrically conductive and, therefore, not dangerous when there is lightning. On the other hand, with steel bars, as soon as it starts to rain, the installers must stop to ensure their safety. […] It’s a good product and I recommend the use of it”.
Find the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zITZlzpC23U&t=11s
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We would like to thank the Groupe Kilo team for taking the time to speak with us about their experience working with SFTec and using our SFT-Bars in their construction project.
If you have a project that we can help with, we would love to hear from you! Reach out to us here: https://sftec.com/contact/