16 August 2011
The roofing industry must ensure that product innovation remains at the top of its agenda, now more than ever. With new product and application solutions regularly being produced, Pete Hamby, Business Development Manager - Pitched Roofing and Facades at SFS intec - discusses the importance of ‘thinking outside the box’ to remain ahead of a fast moving market.
Construction wants and needs will constantly adapt and change, driving innovation within all manufacturing companies which must offer significant application improvements and more cost effective solutions. These speed up the build process with no compromise on quality, as the bottom line.
A classic example is the growing photovoltaic (PV) market which, on the 1st of August saw some drastic changes with the capping of feed in tariff rates. Before this, the rate payable for solar electricity generated from PV systems was based on two bands – 10kW to 100kW paid at 31.4p and 100kW to 5MW was at 29.3p.
Now, assessed in three bands, the revised rates are 50kW to 150kW receives 19p/kWh, 150kW to 250kW at 15p/kWh and 250kW to 5MW paid at 8.5p/kWh*.
It is because of the potential income that the PV industry has recently seen a surge in demand, from larger businesses such as retail outlets with large flat roofs. Already installed PV panels will continue to attract the higher tariffs frozen for the next 25 years.
However, PV panels on many large retail outlets with profile metal sheet roofing can be difficult to fasten to due to the roofs’ uneven nature and variable build up construction.
In the absence of purpose designed bracket solutions, importers of fasteners have traditionally cobbled together a mix of longer threaded rods and differing washers, nuts and bolts. These Heath Robinson solutions result in a slow, complex application on site which is time consuming, thermally inefficient and the limited adjustment makes for a difficult installation.
Quick and easy solutions Any purpose designed solution which aids the installation process will inevitably be more favourable than existing ad-hoc arrangements. For example, SFS intec’s SOL-R design ensures a quick, simple and easy to install operation with considerable flexibility.
SFS intec’s Sol-R has been very well received by the market, with a large number of contracts being secured in recent months. Notably, on a large retail outlet’s head office in Littlehampton, which has seen 7,000 brackets specified due to the ease and speed of transportation, handling and fixing.
Darren Powell, MD of Sureseal Ltd commented: “The installation of SOL - R has provided us with a significant improvement in on-roof time, compared with other systems on the market. It ensures a reduced installation time of two-thirds meaning that we could complete the solar panel installation well before the proposed deadline."
An additional large retail outlet is another convert. The firm’s distribution centre in Corby has been supplied with 3,000 brackets thanks to the elimination of pre-drilling requirements for the SDK fastener, which has a depth locator to eradicate over-torque. This ensured that the twin skin roofing system remained intact and was not damaged through installation.
For a retrofit project at a builder’s merchant in Bognor Regis, 600 Sol-R brackets were specified with the benefit of 100% water tightness and a long extension shaft permitting easy height adjustment of up to 50mm.
Sol-R brackets were also beneficial on a composite panel project at a builder’s merchant in Gosport. Preassembled with a light, sticky sealant underneath the large base plate, the product provides a stable foundation for the fixers to quickly install the bracket.
In summary, it’s important to offer innovative solutions which don’t just complete the job at hand, but help to make the job easier, quicker and more cost effective. By using manufacturing input to create a bespoke solution meeting new application requirements ensures smart and efficient design and product performance in the long term. Our industry must invest and progress in this way to remain economically viable whilst progressing with changing markets.