Will the Future of Roofing be Metal?

By Cass Jacoby. 

The future looks right for metal as training for sales and installation along with new technology is changing the face of the industry. 

In an new RLW that is all about metal roofing, RCS president Heidi J. Ellsworth is joined by a panel of leading metal roof experts Grosso University’s Matt Burke, Mark Raines of EagleView and Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings’ Christian Zimprich and Mark MacDonald for a glimpse into what the future of metal holds.  

 It’s no secret that metal roofs are on the rise in the industry. Metal roofing systems are known to survive extreme weather conditions and are even resistant to fires. Their durable nature, sustainable qualities and aesthetics make them appealing to homeowners. 

“We're definitely starting to see it pick up. Our internal forecasts call for continued growth and market share for metal roofs,” says Christian. “It's definitely an area of growth for our business and our value chain and our partners, and we're excited to help support it in any way we can. And regardless of the trends, there are a ton of great reasons to choose metal roofing as a homeowner or as a contractor interested in entering the market.” 

“Everybody's interested in metal roofing. It's just, how do we make it happen?” agrees Matt.  There is no doubt that there is a growing interest in metal, it is simply a matter of leveraging current labor conditions and technology so that contractors can actually experience that growth. “We found that if you can instill these training programs in your company and get them dialed into a point where we can recruit character and work ethic and then train the skill set, then that puts you in a good spot to grow.” 

Part of experiencing that growth is leveraging technology so that everyday shingle roofing contractors can easily transition to offering metal. Mark Raines explains that with metal you need your measurements to be accurate and how EagleView works to be a solution to the increasing need for accuracy with this roofing material. “What we want to do is, is we want to provide the contractors the ability to speed up the job life cycle,” says Mark. “If people are proposing or bidding accurately, they're ordering the correct amount of materials, they're installing more accurately, and that is just shortening the job life cycle. We're giving time back to that contractor, right? That they can go out and focus on growing their business.” 

There is certainly a need for more skilled labor across the industry, but particularly within the metal industry skilled labor is the biggest obstacle. “Metal does require a different skillset than a traditional asphalt roof,” says Mark MacDonald. “The only way that you get new labor is you have to grow the market. You have to figure out how to do that, as the incentive to grow the labor force. And you have to have a plan for that. So I think we're all working together. It's definitely a hard problem to solve, but I think we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.” 

Watch the entire RLW to learn about the state of metal in the roofing industry and what leading professionals see for the future of this promising material.