SEPTEMBER 2023CONSTRUCTIONBUSINESSREVIEW.COM 19Roofing Industry developing Trends:For the roofing industry specifically, COVID impacted Material and Employee shortages, evolving customer preferences with Sustainability, and Continued Innovation in Technology have been identified as developing trends that will have an impact on this industry both in the short and long term.· COVID and Supply Chain disruption resulted in material and labor shortages that are here to continue for sometime. Roofing contractors are trying to tide over these challenges by proactively hiring labor and by buying materials in stock and in bulk whenever they can, even with the constant increases in pricing, to ensure they won't be behind on projects anytime soon. However, these are negatively impacting their margins and resulting in inflationary impacts on Roofing projects. It is also causing stress on customers, affecting the cost, timelines and specific choices on what material would be their preferences.· Sustainable Roofing solutions are Customer preferences and influencing Roofing Contractors to use eco-friendly, recyclable roofing materials, and Green Roof solutions. Two specific types of eco-friendly roofing on the rise are Metal and Solar roofing. Metal roofing has in its favor visual appeal, high durability, and functionality. Solar roofing is also becoming more popular among clients due to the increased interest in photovoltaic shingles with their ability to utilize solar energy for the home or building, while also acting as normal roof shingles. The challenges with these solutions are initial costs, material availability and longer time of implementation. The client has to measure the pros and cons and make the choice.· Increased Usage of Technology like the usage of Drone Technology showing the clients accurately all damage before a project, more accurate mapping for better prediction of quantities and tracking project progression via drone footage and images have added to more advanced capabilities for roofers. Also some contractors are trying to use AI algorithms for more predictive insights to preventive maintenance operations.Roofing is an industry which is quite traditional, but it has seen improvements through better material utilization, better project management through material management and training and hiring skilled labor and better planning on behalf of Customers. However, this industry is reaching some watershed moments based on the above-mentioned trends. Those who stay on top of the above discussed trends and those who properly adjust to them, will be on the cutting-edge of the industry in a time when that's incredibly important. Roy Sudipto
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