Engineered to Perform. Proven in Strenx®
G.E. Mathis Company is proud to hold an official appointment as an SSAB-certified Strenx® fabricator. For procurement and engineering teams sourcing structural components, that designation matters. It represents our demonstrated mastery of one of the most technically demanding materials in structural fabrication, backed by more than 120 years of quality craftsmanship from our 135,000-square-foot facility in Chicago, Illinois. By combining heavy steel bending and precision laser cutting with material-specific process controls, we maintain close-tolerance consistency across production programs.
G.E. Mathis Company is a metal fabrication specialist offering long-length laser cutting, heavy press-brake forming, and certified welding for industrial infrastructure. Serving OEMs and structural engineering firms nationwide, the company produces close-tolerance components for heavy-duty applications.
Learn more about collaborating with an official Strenx-certified fabricator, leveraging advanced workshop processes, and utilizing Strenx® performance steel to minimize structural weight.
What Is a Strenx® Certified Fabricator?
Strenx® performance steel is globally recognized as a benchmark for structural steel quality. SSAB engineers it to deliver exceptional yield strength, tight dimensional consistency, and reliable structural integrity – properties that conventional steels like A36 or Grade 50 cannot match. With a minimum yield strength of 100 ksi or higher in the grades we stock, roughly double what A36 provides, Strenx® gives OEMs and structural designers room to reduce material thickness without sacrificing load-bearing performance.
Becoming a Strenx®-certified fabricator is not a matter of stocking material. SSAB enforces rigorous quality, process control, and performance standards, and only select manufacturers with demonstrated expertise in handling high-strength steel earn the title. The certification verifies that a fabricator’s equipment, processes, and workforce meet the technical requirements to work with Strenx® without compromising its carefully engineered properties.
At G.E. Mathis Company, that certification reflects decades of hands-on material expertise. We function as a seamless extension of your production line – a partner that understands the technical demands of the material as well as the operational demands of your supply chain. Whether you are sourcing a prototype run or high-volume serial production, our workshop is built to perform at both.
Core Capabilities: Advanced Workshop Processes
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Forming &
WeldingForming & Welding
Forming Strenx® performance steel demands more than raw tonnage. The material’s high yield strength means standard press brake parameters must be precisely adjusted – spring-back compensation, tooling selection, and bend sequencing all require material-specific expertise. Our press brake forming equipment ranges from 400 to 1,000 tons, with bed lengths up to 48 ft. That capacity lets us form heavy steel sections to exact geometries without introducing stress concentrations that would degrade mechanical properties.
On the welding side, our AWS-D1.1-certified methods are matched to the heat input requirements of high-strength steel. A Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) is on staff, and our two semi-automated seam welders handle sections up to 50 ft long. These capabilities are custom-tailored to the tight tolerances required by structural high-strength steel fabrication.
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Laser
CuttingLaser Cutting
Our precision laser cutting systems leverage industry-leading laser cutting technology to maximize the strength and precision of your Strenx® steel components. Our massive 12,000-watt laser systems—including a 14’ x 100’ gantry and an 8’ x 20’ pallet setup—easily handle your largest projects. Utilizing advanced 3-axis CO2 flying optic and hybrid lasers, we flawlessly cut Strenx materials from 16-gauge sheets up to 1.25-inch thick plates. Whether you require a single prototype or high-volume production, our scalable, end-to-end services deliver the exact tolerances your toughest applications demand.
When customers bring us complex profiles, long sections, or close-tolerance configurations, our workshop handles them without the dimensional drift that undermines schedule and fit-up. That consistency is what keeps us on approved vendor lists.
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Contract Manufacturing &
OEM Supply
Contract Manufacturing & OEM Supply
Structural components in Strenx® are not one-off jobs. OEMs running production programs need a fabrication partner whose output is consistent from order to order. Our custom OEM solutions and contract manufacturing programs are structured for exactly that – high-volume, multi-release production where dimensional stability, on-time delivery, and quality documentation are non-negotiable. We support all levels of PPAP, First Article Inspection Reports (FAIR), and Statistical Process Control (SPC), giving your engineering and quality teams the data they need to approve and maintain our status on your supply chain.
The Strategic Advantages for Your Projects
Choosing a Strenx®-certified fabricator is as much a structural engineering decision as a procurement one.
The advantages run through the full project lifecycle:
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Verified Quality Assurance
Verified Quality Assurance
Components fabricated at our facility carry the dual backing of SSAB’s certified material properties and our ISO 9001:2015-certified quality management system. For procurement managers, that combination substantially reduces the risk of receiving out-of-spec parts.
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Weight Reduction Without Performance Compromise
Weight Reduction Without Performance Compromise
High strength-to-weight ratios give design engineers a genuine path to lighter structures. Designing to Strenx® instead of conventional structural steel allows for thinner cross-sections that still meet or exceed load requirements. In applications such as lifting equipment, trailers, and agricultural machinery, that weight reduction translates directly into increased payload capacity, improved fuel efficiency, and longer component service life. Read our case study on how this material inspired one OEM to go lighter and get stronger to see those gains in a real production context.
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Direct Access to SSAB Technical Specialists
Direct Access to SSAB Technical Specialists
Our certified fabricator status provides your project team with direct access to SSAB’s global network of technical engineers and materials specialists, a resource most standard fabricators cannot offer. When a project involves complex geometries, unusual load scenarios, or tight fatigue life requirements, that expertise is available to collaborate directly on your design.
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Long-Term Cost Efficiency
Long-Term Cost Efficiency
Customized high-strength steel fabrication is a long-term financial decision. The upfront investment in high-strength steel components yields lower replacement frequency, reduced maintenance intervals, and lower total structural weight – all of which affect operating cost over the component’s service life.
Demanding Applications & Target Industries
Strenx® performance steel is built for applications where strength, weight, and fatigue life cannot be compromised. Our fabricated components serve the industries where those constraints are most acute:
Lifting & cranes
Boom sections, outrigger pads, and structural frames in lifting equipment must hold precise tolerances under dynamic load conditions. Strenx® reduces structural weight in safety-critical configurations, where every kilogram saved translates to extended reach or increased rated capacity.
Transportation & trailers
Frame rails, crossmembers, and cargo-floor structures built in Strenx® deliver higher payload capacity at lower tare weight. For fleet operators, that means better utilization per load cycle.
Agriculture & construction
High-cycle machinery demands parts that hold their geometry across thousands of operating hours. The consistent material properties give fabricators predictable springback and weldability across production runs, reducing setup variation in high-cycle production programs.
Work With a Strenx® Certified Fabricator That Has Been in Your Corner Since 1905
Four generations of the Mathis family have built this company on a straightforward commitment: deliver quality fabrications that contribute to our customers’ success. Our status as a certified partner is formal recognition that our processes, equipment, and expertise meet the standards SSAB requires for working with its highest-performance structural steel.
If you are evaluating fabricators for a specialized structural project, we welcome the comparison. Our capabilities, certifications, and track record are built to withstand scrutiny. Reach out to our team to discuss your structural project requirements and how our capabilities as a Strenx® Certified Fabricator apply to your program.
