Crossing borders

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As we continue to realize how much smaller our world has become as a result of advancements in transportation, communication and technology, we take a closer look at the roofing industry. Not only do we see products and technology crossing geographical borders but we see contractors extending their bids to foreign countries and workers migrating from one country to another. NRCA recognizes the importance of commonalities on an international level with regard to material standards, worker training and technology and continues to work to increase dialogue about the global roofing industry.

NRCA action

NRCA leaders, with the guidance of NRCA's International Relations Committee, have taken an active approach in partnering with other roofing-related associations to further the cause of becoming a more unified industry across international borders.

NRCA has a strong membership base in Mexico and Canada and excellent working relationship with the Canadian Roofing Contractors' Association, as well as various regional associations in Canada. Canadian contractors have become more involved with NRCA by serving on its board of directors and participating in several of its committees.

In addition, NRCA has had an office in Monterrey, Mexico, for several years, and NRCA-Mexico Representative Fernando Perez-Toledano and NRCA-Mexico General Manager Guillermo Gonzalez recruit new members from Mexico and Latin America. NRCA-Mexico also hosts an annual conference in Monterrey, which provides a networking platform for contractors and opportunity for manufacturers to showcase their products and services.

And in countries that have no formal roofing association, NRCA is working with contractors and manufacturers who are willing to invest their time to help NRCA represent their regions' interests.

"We often don't realize how influential NRCA is in the international roofing industry," says Dane Bradford, president of Bradford Roof Management, Billings, Mont., and NRCA's immediate former president. "During the past two or three years, we've been approached by many foreign organizations who have an interest in representing NRCA or ask for our help in establishing codes and standards for developing countries or regions. In a growing global economy, we need to be proactive in our approach to further our members' business opportunities."

For example, NRCA currently is in talks with a Middle Eastern roofing materials manufacturer to set up an office in Egypt to represent Middle Eastern roofing contractors and manufacturers. The representative would help roofing professionals in that region work with NRCA to develop or improve existing material standards, provide a platform to network with fellow industry peers and determine worker training needs. The office would provide opportunities for Middle Eastern roofing materials manufacturers to connect with NRCA's contractor members. It also would be an opportunity for U.S. roofing materials manufacturers to have more exposure to Middle Eastern contractors.

NRCA continues to find ways to reach out to other countries. Looking to help upgrade the level of trained workers, some staff members from NRCA's Education Department are holding training programs in other parts of the world. This new service is a result of a request on behalf of a contractor in India who was interested in having NRCA customize training programs for his workers. NRCA also has received requests to provide training in other countries, such as China.

China

NRCA meets regularly with the China National Waterproof Building Materials Industry Association (CNWBMIA) and has discussed the possibility of partnering with the association to develop worker training programs in China. Although NRCA has been a longstanding partner of CNWBMIA, worker training will be a new initiative between the two organizations. Since 2000, CNWBMIA has made service to the building materials industry a priority by providing research data, hosting international seminars and incorporating the help of other international trade associations to further the growth of its annual international exhibition.

This year will mark the fourth year NRCA partners with CNWBMIA to host China Roofing & Waterproofing 2006 Nov. 30-Dec. 3 in Beijing. Each year, China Roofing & Waterproofing has managed to attract more attendees and exhibitors from non-Chinese manufacturers. The 2006 exhibition will be a bit different—it will move to a new venue, The China International Exhibition Center in Beijing, and be held with The Housing Expo organized by the Ministry of Construction. This new format is expected to, once again, significantly increase attendance and the number of exhibiting companies. For information about attending or exhibiting at China Roofing & Waterproofing 2006, please contact me at ohinojosa@nrca.net.

With fairly recent induction into the World Trade Organization and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing around the corner, China has grown and continues to grow at an exponentially accelerated rate. Zhu Dongquing, executive director of CNWBMIA, reports that the total new construction will reach more than 322 billion square feet (30 billion m²) by 2020 at an annual growth of more than 21 billion square feet (2 billion m²).

"It also is projected that the steep-slope roofing market will increase at a faster speed than low-slope roofing," Dongquing says. "There is a growing trend in big cities—low-slope roof system repair jobs are being replaced by steep-slope roof systems. This is occurring not only on single-story commercial buildings but on many multifloor buildings and high rises. With the government pushing for the development of small towns and implementation of policy limiting the use of clay tiles and bricks, we will see increased use of materials such as asphalt shingles, waterproofing and thermal insulation underlayment and self-adhering flashings."

Europe

NRCA has had representation in Europe for more than 10 years. The current NRCA European representative, Frank (Booky) Louwers, assists NRCA on various levels. Louwers was chief executive officer of LUMCO, Ghent, Belgium, a company that manufactured roofing and insulation materials and installed roof systems. He left the business in 2003, and now is an independent adviser for construction-related matters.

Louwers' multilingual talent provides assistance to many NRCA European members. During NRCA's 2005 participation in European trade shows, Louwers was able to visit with contractors and manufacturers from different countries within the European Union (EU) to gather some thoughts about the current state of the European roofing industry.

According to Louwers, it seems there are many differences between the U.S. and European roofing markets. This certainly applies to steep-slope roofing, where availability of certain materials—such as clay, slate, flagstone and reed—often determined the way roofs were built in Europe in the past.

But even for newer materials, such as roof membranes used on low-slope roofs, there is diversity, Louwers says.

"When these materials emerged, the EU did not exist, and each country had its own standards and practices," he says. "These standards are different from those in the U.S.; they are more descriptive (though now there is a tendency toward more performance-based standards) and stringent, and usually governments and government-related bodies have quite an influence on shaping and enforcing these standards."

Louwers points out that forming common EU standards for membranes began in 1985, and the first ones were completed only recently, demonstrating the diversity between the existing national standards and difficulties individual member states had in finding a common approach.

There also is a lot of interest in Europe with regard to radical energy conservation. Steep-slope insulation thicknesses of 15¾ inches (400 mm) mineral wool, as well as thicknesses of 6 inches (152 mm) polyisocyanurate in low-slope roofs are common, Louwers says. Solar houses and offices (now requiring almost no traditional energy) no longer are uncommon, and research into energy-efficient buildings, which yield more energy on a yearly basis than they consume, is well under way.

There is quite a difference in the expected life spans of roof systems (and buildings in general) between Europe and the U.S., as well.

"Expected life spans of buildings in Europe are much longer: 50 years to 80 years for big buildings, such as offices, and even longer for housing," Louwers says. "Steep-slope roof systems are expected to last about as long as the buildings themselves."

Because of these high expectations, Louwers says, Europeans know low-slope roof systems must be installed carefully. This seems to generate tougher roofs with more attention to details and workmanship.

"It will be interesting to see how quickly the newer European (mostly former Eastern European) countries will adapt to common European roofing practices," Louwers says. "Since the formation of the EU, we see workers migrating from one country to another, searching for work or higher paying jobs."

One of the challenges in Europe will be retraining the influx of Eastern European workers to handle new materials and equipment and bring the standard of their work to Western European levels.

Bridging the gap

As NRCA enters its 120th year of service to the roofing industry, it recognizes standards, technology and the work force continue to be key issues.

NRCA will welcome foreign delegations to its 119th Annual Convention in Las Vegas Feb. 13-16 to provide a platform for NRCA members to exchange ideas on an international scale and create opportunities for members to explore roofing technological advancements in various parts of the world.

As of Jan. 6, the following countries will be represented at the convention: Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom. In addition, a delegation of 30 roofing industry professionals led by CNWBMIA will be present.

NRCA will continue to actively reach out to the international community to develop programs that will help train workers, unify standards and upgrade the professionalism of the industry.

Olicia V. Hinojosa is NRCA's manager of international relations.