NRCA Joins Open Letter to Biden Calling for Supply Chain Support

NRCA Joins Open Letter to Biden Calling for Supply Chain Support

The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) was one of multiple industry associations that recently signed an open letter to President Joe Biden urging him to take actions that will resolve the supply chain crisis.

The letter — signed by groups from nearly every industry, including wine, chemicals, and agriculture — calls on Biden to take action on five recommended items to counteract the current supply chain disruptions. The roofing industry in particular has experienced price hikes and supply shortages that have caused jobs to be delayed for months, most notably following Hurricane Ida.

“As business leaders and proud Americans, we are firmly committed to this country's economic recovery. We are working to usher in a return to normalcy and striving to help all Americans enjoy a better way of life by providing them with access to the essential products and supplies they need,” the letter states.

Among the actions recommended is more flexibility with COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Earlier this month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration published an emergency temporary standard that requires businesses with 100 or more employees to either vaccinate their workers or have them undergo regular testing. The new rule has been temporarily stayed by a lawsuit filed by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.

In the open letter, the industry groups say the new mandate will cripple an already strained supply chain, estimating that companies covered by the mandate could lose 37% of truck drivers. The letter states the nation is already short by 80,000 truck drivers.

“We ask for flexibility for transportation and supply chain essential workers, particularly truck drivers who spend most of their time in their trucks and have minimal contact with colleagues and customers,” the letter states.

The recommended actions also include a pilot program for attracting younger commercial drivers to the various industries. This could take the form of a two-stage, safety-focused apprenticeship program for qualified drivers between the ages of 18 and 20 to operate interstate commerce. Similarly, the letter calls for federal agencies to promote careers in transportation and the supply chain.

The letter also asks that the administration retain changes made to hours of service regulations that give truck drivers greater flexibility while improving safety.

In remarks made on Oct. 13, Biden announced the Port of Los Angeles will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help speed up the logistical supply chain. Around 40% of shipping containers that the U.S. imports come through the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. FedEx and UPS also committed to increasing the number of items they ship at night.

“We need to take a longer view, though, that invests in building greater resilience to withstand the kinds of shocks we’ve seen over and over, year in and year out, whether it’s the pandemic, extreme weather, climate change, cyberattacks, or other disruptions,” Biden said.

Source: Roofing Contractor

2021 MRCA Elite Safety Program Awards

The Midwest Roofing Contractors Association Safety Program Award recognizes MRCA member companies that have demonstrated a commitment to improving jobsite safety through development, implementation, and enforcement of a safety and risk management program.

2021 MRCA Safety Award

The application for the Safety Awards Program and the ELITE Contractor program have been combined. To become an ELITE Contractor, a firm must earn a Bronze or higher award on their safety program review while meeting additional criteria. The criteria includes, being registered or licensed in the jurisdictions in which they perform work, being OSHA compliant, meeting state insurance, bonding and workers compensation requirements, and also completing eight hours of industry-related continuing education.

EMPIRE ROOFING attained their safety award and achieved ELITE status for 2021

This year Jorge Argueta (left, NSTCS Safety Consultant), Naphis Mitchell Jr (NSTCS), Tyler Lea , and Joseph Cabanes (Naphis’ son and owner of NSTCS) received the award on behalf of the late

Naphis Mitchell-Reyes Sr, Safety Director at Empire Roofing.

Naphis strived in educating each and every individual he taught. He took pride in ensuring proper safety involving every aspect of the commercial roofing industry. Empire Roofing continues to see the legacy Naphis left upon many of us and are proud to call him one of the greats in Safety Advocacy.

Pictured: Jorge Argueta (left, NSTCS Safety Consultant), Naphis Mitchell Jr (NSTCS), Tyler Lea (Empire Roofing), and Joseph Cabanes (Naphis’ son and owner of NSTCS)

2020 MRCA Safety Awards: Naphis Mitchell Reyes.(pictured)

The Cost of Metal Roofing in the COVID-19 Economy

The devastation from the COVID-19 pandemic reaches further than the health and well-being of our people. The effects stressed more than hospitals and healthcare staff. And the burden is carried by more than those who have suffered from the illness. Supply chain distribution and the workforce were both turned upside down. And that has been felt everywhere, from the grocery store to the construction industry.

In the roofing industry, specifically, contractors are dealing with higher prices, longer lead times, and overall fewer options when it comes to getting the materials they need to build roofs. While no one has entirely escaped the fallout from the pandemic, metal roofing materials are faring better than most other roofing products.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Metal Panels

Do you remember the early days of the pandemic when businesses were shuttered, and employees stayed home for weeks or months at a time? Outside of businesses deemed essential, production simply stopped on many products, and that stressed the supply chain.

Even when businesses were able to stay up and running, there was a disruption with logistics or components that continued to throw cogs in the wheel. Navigating production in the face of a global pandemic has been challenging, to say the least, and now roofing contractors, homeowners, and developers are feeling the squeeze. Let’s take a look at what this means.

Increased Prices

There has been a push-pull effect on industry prices. On one side, the pandemic caused a material shortage, and on the other, an active storm season has sharply increased demand. In January 2021, and in each quarter after that, suppliers began circulating price increase letters as they struggled to keep up with the growing demand. As contractors bid jobs and ordered materials, materials costs continued to climb. Suppliers initially softened the blow with a projection that prices might stabilize by the third or fourth quarter, but now that we are approaching the third quarter, it feels like higher prices might be here to stay.

Longer Lead Times

Another repercussion of a supply shortfall is longer lead times. Pre-pandemic, contractors could order and receive all of the supplies they needed within two or three weeks. But since supplies are limited, and demand is increasing, there isn’t quite enough to go around. It’s taking suppliers longer to fill orders, which delays projects and compounds the concern of higher prices since pricing is based on delivery date and not order date.

Delayed Projects

It stands to reason that if suppliers are struggling to fill orders, contractors are also struggling to meet completion deadlines. Compromising on material selections based on availability can help lessen the burden of delays, but at this point, they seem almost entirely unavoidable. While pricing may never return to pre-pandemic levels, project timelines should improve as the supply side catches up.

Product Shortages and Limited Selections

While manufacturers work hard to backfill shortages, the most effort will go to producing the most popular colors and styles. What this means is that product offerings may slim down temporarily, and specialty colors and styles may become completely unavailable. Special orders may be completely out of the question.

The entire roofing industry is feeling the impact of COVID-19 disruptions. But side-by-side, metal roofing is coming out on top with more manageable price increases and shorter lead times. Metal roofs have fewer components, often requiring just the metal panels, fasteners, and underlayment. That means there are fewer opportunities for supply chain delays.

Why Metal Panels?

Availability aside, metal roofing panels are an ideal choice for many other great reasons. Most importantly, metal panels are significantly stronger and more durable than asphalt. Metal roofing is resistant to both wind and fire, and lasts longer than traditional roofing materials. Asphalt shingles last anywhere from 15 to 30 years, but metal roofing could last up to 50 years or more! Metal roofs also require minimal maintenance and can be cleaned with a basic pressure wash.

Because of the reflective properties of “cool technology” paint systems, metal roofing is also an effective insulator. It reflects more UV rays, which helps to keep buildings and homes cooler, even in the summer months. Over the course of the warmer season, a metal roof can help save significant sums of money on energy bills. In addition, these panels are often made from recycled materials, and are 100% recyclable themselves. Metal roofing, then, is not just beneficial to the home or business owner; it is also beneficial to the environment.

Planning for the Future

There is no way around it; the COVID-19 pandemic has left its mark on the roofing industry. While metal roofing has been impacted to a lesser extent, higher prices and longer lead times are still causing big headaches for contractors and home or building owners. So, where do we go from here?

Things will undoubtedly improve with time, but hope is fading that we will ever see a pre-pandemic normal. Contractors can help ease clients into this reality by providing transparency in pricing, timelines, and supply selections. Many contractors are adding extra layers of protection in the form of pricing and force clauses that spell out liabilities in the event of new or prolonged events that interfere with their roofing projects.

As a roofing contractor, it’s your job to educate clients on the challenges in the industry and show them how your company is rising to the occasion in a responsible manner. While delays and price increases aren’t good news to anyone, clients will respond positively to open lines of communication and honesty upfront. The silver lining in all of this is that as we smooth out the bumps in the supply chain, metal roofing will continue to grow as a viable and even preferred material option.

Source: Roofing Contractor

Understanding Roofing Systems

Part 3: TPO and PVC

TPO is a single-ply roofing material that can be manufactured in bright white; there is not an urgent need to coat a newly installed TPO roof system. However, there is a demand for coatings that will extend TPO roof systems' life cycles.

Unfortunately, TPO roof systems' smooth, inert surfaces present a significant adhesion challenge to coatings. For TPO roof systems, manufacturer-approved primers are available, allowing for an elastomeric white top coat, such as water-based acrylic. Suffice to say this is not a common application and is an area of ongoing research.

PVC also is smooth, chemically resistant, water-resistant and not easily coated—special primers are required to coat these roof systems. PVC's high levels of liquid plasticizer seem to present a bigger challenge than its slick surface. The polymer's chemical resistance also inhibits the development of suitable primers. PVC gets its white color from pigments added to the polymer during the manufacturing stage.

It's worth mentioning that TPO and PVC membranes easily can be misidentified in the field. Because they require different primers and coatings, examining a test patch is a prudent caution before coating an unidentified white membrane.

Source: Professional Roofing

Understanding Roofing Systems

Part 2: Modified Bitumen

Polymer-modified bitumen roofing is a subset of asphalt roofing. Before these roofing sheets are formed, asphalt is heavily modified with APP or SBS rubber. These two technologies provide products with significantly different properties. SBS materials can be installed in moppings of hot asphalt, with cold adhesive or torch-applied. They may be used as hybrid systems and typically are finished with a mineral-surfaced cap sheet. A thick APP base sheet often is used with granulated SBS sheet on top, and, in most parts of the U.S., it is torch-applied rather than adhered with hot asphalt or adhesives. APP most commonly is available as a smooth-surfaced material though granule surfaces also are available.

Recently, some manufacturers have introduced white polymer-modified bitumen cap sheets that may be used to cap traditional BUR systems. If they provide reflectance values above 0.70, the roof systems qualify for an exemption from California's Title 24.

Various protective and reflective coatings also can be applied to polymer-modified bitumen substrates in the field.

Much of what applies to BUR systems also applies to polymer-modified bitumen roof systems. Polymer-modified bitumen roof systems generally are compatible with coatings developed for conventional BUR systems; aluminum and white coatings commonly are used. Elastomeric acrylic coatings can be applied to smooth polymer-modified bitumen and mineral-surfaced cap sheets to turn their black surfaces white and extend roof system life cycles while lowering energy costs.

Elastomeric acrylic coatings featuring non-bleed formulas recently were introduced. These coatings provide asphaltic substrates with a cool, bright white, protective seal. These specially formulated coatings maintain their bright white surfaces for long-term performance.

Roof systems with asphaltic substrates must be aged at least 90 days before white elastomeric acrylic coatings can be applied. If a substrate previously was coated with an unknown coating, an adhesion test must be performed. After a successful adhesion test, all loose existing coatings and debris must be removed and the roof surface power washed with water. Excessively soiled or greasy surfaces—common on smooth APP—may require additional cleaning with a stiff-bristle broom or scrub brush.

Mineral-surfaced cap sheets are perhaps the easiest to coat in the field. These surfaces are rough enough to provide excellent adhesion but not so rough as to require a large volume of coating material. Mineral-surfaced cap sheets have a surface roughness of 30 to 50 mils. An initial coating of 10 mils with asphalt emulsion tends to fill in the voids and serve as a good substrate for a white coating.

A smooth polymer-modified bitumen roof system also can be coated with an asphalt emulsion coating and topped with a compatible white acrylic coating depending on the target reflectivity value.

Source: Professional Roofing