75 years and counting: How Leister continues to innovate

By Emma Peterson.

From a new vacuum plate to the next generation of VARIMAT, Leister continues to improve their heat welding offerings.

In a special Read Listen Watch® (RLW), Heidi J. Ellsworth took attendees to the 2025 International Roofing Expo (IRE) show floor to talk to Dave Nordentoft and Brittany Wykle of Leister. The trio explored the new innovations and developments coming out of Leister, like their new vacuum plate and the next iteration of the VARIMAT line. Not only did attendees get to hear about the products and digital tools that are shaping the future of heat welding, but they also got to see some incredible demos!

2024 marked the 75th anniversary of Leister but hitting that milestone doesn’t mean they are slowing down at all. Dave explained, “Over the years, we've used every opportunity that we can to try to figure out how we can do things better. We think about how we can innovate and make the process better... So even though we've had a large portfolio of very successful products in the past, we’re not going to just rest on our laurels. We're going to try to figure out new ways to improve our products and to harness new technologies and advance what we do.”

A great example of this is the innovations that Leister highlighted at IRE. One was their new vacuum plate. Brittany explained what this product is, sharing, “It's a leak detection system, so we're using it to find any kinds of openings, no punctures, hold welds, open T-joints. It basically just uses suction to pull the air through and when you use it in combo with soapy water, there will be bubbles anywhere that there's an opening.” This is a great tool for any professional working with heat welds, whether they are an inspector or a member of a service crew.  

The other innovation they were showcasing was the new VARIMAT platform that launched last year (generation four). Dave shared some of the history of this product, saying, “We've had the VARIMAT platform out for a long time, since the late 1990s. Our last version was a very successful tool. A lot of contractors loved it. But again, we try to gain feedback from the field, from those that use our machines, from those that work with them, and ask, ‘What can we do better?’” In the case of the VARIMAT platform, that type of feedback led them to improving the welding pressure (leading to a greater range of temperature and speed combinations) by altering the machine’s weight system, adding a telescoping axle that makes balancing the machine easier and updating the eDrive display to make it easier to access information about welds (like temperature, speed, airflow settings, etc.).

Read the transcript, Listen to the episode or Watch the full RLW to learn more about Leister’s innovative heat welding products.