To Market, To Market
A roofing industry trend is that large builders are gaining market share, estimated at 35%, of all sales. According to Standard & Poors Industry Surveys, the 10 largest builders in the US account for 51% of all real estate closings made.
It is also important to note that consumers are an important market to reach too. The trade-up market for the foreseeable future should be a promising market in the years ahead.
The distributor markets are an excellent source to display and feature our product lines. Management has already made contacts with two major distributors in the US and both have indicated an interest in buying our products when they are readied for large scale use. One of their complaints with a previous supplier was the inability to get an order shipped in time.
There are several thousand distributors in the US that cater to builders. The following are just a few of the ones in the US we will target: Huttig Building Products, Rim Pac Marketing, Emack Slate Company and Mid-Continent Roof & Gutter.
Another source of leads is architects. They have the power to designate materials used in the building of their business/professional and home markets. They can be reached by ads in some of their vertical publications. We will call on this class of trade; they can direct information to various sections of their assigned area where our activity is heavier.
A major selling point is that our roofing products are 100% recycled and 100% recyclable. Competitors offering slate, clay and wood shake roofing materials do not offer products that are environmentally friendly.
Another important sales point is the ease of installation, which is very important for installers. No known competitor can offer roofing materials that can be installed with such ease as our products. Installing our roofing materials means reduced labor and material costs in addition to eliminating the extra structural changes required to install heavier tiles. Our roofing materials can be installed over spaced or solid sheathing and in temperatures below 45° degrees F.
There are many safety features that are evident to the homebuilder. Heat resistant tiles that reflect up to 75% of the sun’s heat are especially valuable in areas where the sun flourishes. This eliminates the need for extra insulation. Our tiles will have a Class A fire rating, which will decrease insurance costs.
Since most of the orders will result in squares (a 10’ X10’ area), a variety of profiles are available. Usually roofing materials are either attractive or safe, but not both. Our roofing products combine these two desirable characteristics to obtain a positioning in the consumers’ mind as high-quality, durable, eco-friendly that adds beauty and safety to any building structure.
A $35 Billion Market
The size of the roofing market in the US is estimated at $35 billion. At this time, the market is divided in the following manner:
Roofing Demand by Product
| Asphalt Shingles |
61% |
| Metal Roofing |
8% |
| Electrometric Roofing |
8% |
| Built-Up Roofing |
7% |
| Modified Bitumen Roofing |
6% |
| Plastic Roofing |
6% |
| Wood Shakes |
2% |
| Roofing Tile |
1% |
| Other Roofing Material |
1% |
| Total |
100% |
Asphalt shingles have been the most widely used in homes and industrial buildings, but their position of dominance is beginning to weaken. We believe that as more people become aware of plastic roofing and its advantages, the tide will be turned.
RPM will Offer Tiles
in a Variety of Styles & Colors
We will offer a variety of roofing profiles and colors, with which we can satisfy the most discriminating requests or make it to the exact color demanded. We plan initially to offer simulated slate in six colors; cedar slate in four colors; barrel tile in three colors; and, flat cedar slate in three colors. See picture below of our Mission (Spanish) tile installed on a new home.
Our new product line will consist of Simulated Slate. This material is cast from natural slate and available in black, charcoal, gray, brown, red and green. We plan to have it tested to produce a Class A fire rating and Class 4 impact rating. The tiles are 12" X 18", which weigh approximately 2.0 lbs. This is a very beautiful tile and cannot be differentiated from the original tile except under close examination.
Our next product will be Simulated Cedar Shake. To obtain the natural beauty of wood, multiple patterns were cast from real selected cedar shake in various widths of 5", 7" and 12". The height is 24" with weights of 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 respectfully. The material will also have a Class C fire rating and Class 4 impact rating and will be available in five colors, pewter, charcoal, brown and a weathered gray.
Our Simulated Spanish Tile (pictured) provides a Mediterranean style roof with all the beauty and durability of clay tiles with much less effort in installing them. This material is made from recycled plastic material and has a Class A fire rating and a Class 3 impact rating. The colors available will be terra cotta, brown and black. It weighs 3 lbs. per piece with a height of 16.5" and width of 13". |
