Keeping The Rodents Out With Xcluder!

Since fall is coming and rodent season is right around the corner, we thought we would reach out to the Xcluder company with some questions about their rodent exclusionary products. Pest professionals all across the country trust and use Xcluder for most of their rodent exclusion work. Global Material Technologies was founded in 1896 as the American Steel Wool Manufacturing Company. To this day GMT still specializes in the manufacture, processing and finishing of metal wools and fibers though the number and types of products we produce has expanded. One example of that expansion is the Xcluder line of rodent and pest control products. Xcluder was launched about 10 years ago in response to PCOs who were using regular steel wool for exclusion but wanted something that wouldn’t rust and was less expensive and stayed in place better than copper. That first product was the Xcluder Fill Fabric which is today what most people think of first when they hear the Xcluder name. Here are the questions we asked Drew Mcfadden from Xcluder. 

Hey Drew, So Why do you think you are the market leader in rodent exclusionary products?

There are a couple of things that I believe set us apart. First, we offer the most complete line of rodent and pest exclusion products in the industry. These include everything from the Fill Fabric for sealing small holes and cracks to Xcluder GEO which is used to prevent rodent burrows in outdoor areas like tree pits and parks such as the African Burial Ground National Monument in NYC. Additionally we’ve developed a full line of rodent proof door sweeps, garage and dock door seals, dock leveler seals and a host of specialty products such as our Xcluder Rail Blocks that seal the gap created by the tracks where they enter a rail dock.

The second thing that sets us apart and one that we take great pride in is our ability to listen to our customers and work with them to solve a problem. Many of the exclusion products in our catalog came to exist because somebody told us about a challenge that they had for which there wasn’t a current solution. It is not uncommon for us to work directly with a PCO and their customer to develop and test prototype solutions to solve a problem.

What is the top selling product in your line? Why?

The Fill Fabric is the top seller. It was the first product we introduced and it has seen wide adoption throughout the pest control industry. As a category however, our line of door sweeps and seals is experiencing tremendous growth as more and more PCOs are making exclusion services a core part of their offering or recommending our products to their clients.

Do you just sell products to exclude mice and rats? What about other rodents?

Everything we sell is designed to be effective against mice and rats at a minimum. However, some products such as the fill fabric are used to effectively exclude a variety of pests. For example, there is often a gap between the fascia board or porch lights and the exterior wall of a building that provides an entry point for mice but also bees, bats, wasps, etc.  Filling that gap with a strip of Xcluder fill fabric will effectively prevent entry for any pest that might find that opening attractive. We also make the Garage Door Rodent Shield. Its a stainless steel strip that attaches to the vertical rubber weather-stripping at the sides of garage doors to prevent gnawing.  In addition to mice and rats this area is often a target for chipmunks.Our GEO material can be used to protect outdoor areas from a variety of burrowing rodents including, rats, nutria, chipmunks and ground squirrels.

What is the biggest mis-conception about your company?

That the Fill Fabric is all that we make.

Any new products in the works that you would like to speak about?

We’ve got a couple of new products this year that we’re very excited about. The first is our X2 system for sealing dock and garage doors. What makes this product unique is the aluminum retainer that makes it possible to combine the installation of our rodent proof door seal along with a flexible brush seal. The brush installs facing the interior of the building so it is protected from rodents and works to seal the tiny openings created by a slightly uneven surface such as the diamond plate on most dock levelers. This extra level of protection works to keep out the crawling bugs that can fit through a much smaller gap than a mouse as well as sealing out the light that can be a warning sign to a health inspector.

The other new product is our replaceable dock leveler seal system that we’ll be launching in the next month or so. Dock levelers are notoriously hard to seal up and often take a lot of abuse. Currently, nylon brush seals are the most common solution but provide little protection against rodents. They’re popular because they are inexpensive and easy to replace in the event of damage. Our new system is designed to deliver all the benefits of a brush seal (low cost and easy replacement) along with proven protection against mice and rats.

Where could pest control professional find your products?

Our products are available through all of the major distributors of pest control products as well as online through a number of outlets.

Some pest control professionals do not believe in sealing or patching during rodent extermination. What do you say to them?

To prevent the problem from recurring sealing up the entry points will be necessary. Eliminating the population inside the building first through traps before sealing the entry points may be beneficial especially when the entry point is not obvious. Observing the patterns of the interior activity while exterminating the population can provide valuable clues as to where the problem is originating.