Technology Advances Metal Roofers’ Production

There are so many new technological advances affecting the metal roofing industry; here’s highlighting a few that are increasing metal roofing companies productivity

Weather technological devices, using cell phone apps, the newest software, flying unmanned airplanes—drones—are just a few of the technological devices that are affecting the metal roofing industry. And, they sure are making a huge difference when it comes to metal roofers getting the job done more efficiently and effectively.

Productivity and efficiency is the lifeline of any metal roofing company. How it increases and continues to flow efficiently takes different kinds of measures from company to company.

Drones Making Metal Roofing Easier & Safer

Another way metal roofers are making their jobs more efficient to increase their production are by using unmanned aircraft—drones—to fly over roofs and help them inspect roofs, saving significant time it may take a roofer to manually go up there.

Luke Hansen, of White Castle Roofing, in Lincoln, Nebraska, began using drones about three years ago to speed up roof inspections and estimates. He states that it’s not only quicker, but it’s also safer for the roofing crew.

“Drones are insanely cool. We started to use drones about three years ago. We thought that they’d be really expensive; they aren’t,” Hansen said. “You can get an awesome drone for about $500 so we thought we’d make the investment.”

White Castle Roofing owns two drones. Both DJIs—the Phantom 2 and the Phantom 4. “You can get into the newer ones, more expensive ones; there are a lot of different kinds and they are fun to try out,” Hansen said.

“Roofing is extremely dangerous. Whether it’s huge steeples on a church, or just really tall buildings. At first, we started to use them because we thought they’d be a means where you don’t have to walk on a roof. They are extremely helpful and safer. The thing with drones though, is that you eventually crash them. You think that you are better maneuvering them than what you really are.”

Examples of how they have used them include: on high apartment complexes; many church steeples; inspections; and they have just flown the drones up to see what kind of problems and damage the roof may have, to get an initial idea of what all will need to be done. “They give you a great view of the roof, you can get super close and it’s a great alternative to going up there yourself and it’s a really fast way to see what kind of situation you are dealing with,” he says.

“There’s also a huge marketing aspect to using them, such as getting great marketing material. For example, you can send the drone up to get high-resolution photos of projects and video while the work is being done,” Hansen said. “And, once a project is completed, you can get really cool video and photography.”

White Castle Roofing still uses their drones from time to time, and Hansen says that they “assess the situation and if they don’t want to walk on the roof, it’s a great way to get super close. You can get perfect, crisp HD video, you can find out how many shingles are missing and it’s so much cheaper than renting a crane,” he said. “And, it’s so much faster vs. getting the crane in place and going up there.”

Although they don’t use drones as much as they have in the past in recent years, he said that it will be interesting to see the regulations once they take full affect. “Before we further invest in more drones, we are waiting it out to see what the state regulations are going to be like. Regardless, regulations are going to be strict when they are finalized. Even now, you need to register your drone with the FAA, you’ll need to take tests; there will be requirements. We’re waiting to see what the requirements are going to be before we get really serious in investing in newer equipment for it.”

Drones Soon To Be Regulated

Just recently, Anthony Tilton, lawyer with Trent Cotney, P.A., a firm dedicated to representing the construction industry, gave a seminar titled “The Use and Application of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones) in the Roofing Industry,” at the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractor’s Association (FRSA) expo in Orlando, Florida.

In his seminar he addressed how everyday, more and more roofing contractors within the industry continue to choose unmanned aircraft systems to perform estimates, capture marketing images and inspect roofing surfaces.

“As this technology continues to expand, both the Federal and State governments will move to implement regulations and control over this rapidly evolving technology,” Tilton said.

“You have to take into consideration both the benefits of drone technology vs. the risks of liability,” he said.

Some of the benefits that Tilton discussed include:

• Safer and faster estimates;

• Management of customer expectations with real-time photographs and videos of installation;

• Imaging provides instantaneous estimates;

• Programs available to compute material needs;

• High-quality images indicate potential areas in need of repair;

• Marketing; and

• Accurate surveys of elevations and roof slope, etc.

Tilton stressed throughout the seminar that the laws are always changing and if you pursue to use drones, you should keep up with the laws and regulations, depending on the state you live in.

“As the technology becomes more and more prevalent, laws will become more important. Anything that we can do to keep roofers safe, the better,” Tilton says.

If you or your company has questions about drone regulation or the construction industry in general, feel free to contact Tilton at his Tallahassee, Florida, office at 850-213-1297 or email him at: atilton@trentcotney.com.

From Construction Magazine Network

Trenton H. Cotney

Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer

Trent Cotney, P.A. 

407 N. Howard Avenue

Suite 100

Tampa, FL 33606

www.trentcotney.com