Also hot off the presses is 3-inch, white seam tape for fully adhered TPO. “This gives contractors the option of hot-air welding or using seam tape,” says Jim Burkett, director of marketing for GenFlex. Other product developments include a 12-foot-wide PVC sheet being produced at the company’s Muscle Shoals, Ala., plant.
On the marketing side GenFlex recently introduced its new Single-ply Workshop And Training (S.W.A.T.) program, designed to assist roofing contractors with increasing productivity and profits while reducing operating costs. As mentioned in the January 2003 issue of Roofing Contractor, the S.W.A.T. program focuses on teaching contractors how the market, and the business world in general, has changed over the last decade, and emphasizes the importance of constant re-evaluation of each contractor’s specific practices to continually improve their individual business.
Burkett doesn’t see an end to the upswing in the single-ply market. “Cool roofs and environmental requirements are helping the growth of white, thermoplastic systems,” he says. “Black, asphalt or torch-applied systems don’t have an answer for cool roofs or meeting Energy Star requirements.” Burkett also believes that while built-up roofing is losing market share, “Designers and building owners are starting to recognize that white thermoplastic membranes will last for 15 to 20 years and reduce energy costs. This is supported by the growth in TPO and PVC.” Burkett adds that most “Big Box” retailers (such as Target and Lowes) are using white thermoplastic membranes on many of their buildings.
