Indian roofing industry clinching growth

Indian roofing industry clinching growth
Leading industry experts talk about the Indian roofing industry and how the industry is moving forward
The roofing sector is very optimistic about the growth in the coming years. Splurging economy and increased construction and development activities of infrastructure sectors like airports, metro rails, SEZs, industrial cities and IT parks have kick-started the demand of improved construction technology and specialised structures like pre-engineered buildings complimented with modern, efficient roofing system.
According to Shailendra Kharwar, Executive Director, TENSO, “Roofing, being the most critical area of a building and increased awareness, has lead customers to move away from conventional roofing system to high-quality, more technically advanced roofing systems and materials which has tangible benefits like low-maintenance cost and non-tangible benefits like peace of mind in the long run.”
Total market for metal roofing industry is about 1 million tonnes and growing with the growing construction activities. Mr Kharwar added, “Indian roofing industry is at a nascent stage. Current low per-capita steel consumption of 45-50 kg as compare to world average of 175 kg gives enough space for Indian roofing industry to expand owing to high demand in construction industry.”
T. Lakshman, Business Head, Aluform Systems, said, “Roofing market size is very scattered and if you combine all the available materials, the market size should easily exceed 10 million square metres, growing at 10-15 per cent annually.”
Government’s investmentWhile talking about the government’s investment in infrastructure sector, Ajit Koshy, Sales Manager, Roof Xperts India, said, “We are optimistic about the growth of the roofing sector in the coming years. We have started getting inquiries from tier-two cities which is very promising when compared to the already informed clients of tier one. Today everybody would like to install the best of the materials in their dream home and would not like to be left alone in the lurch. Collectively, this is good news for the growth of the roofing sector in India.”
Emphasis on green buildingLots of emphasis is given for green building these days and there is awareness too. However, Mr Koshy differs on this point. He explained, “As of now, many people are ignorant about green buildings. Very few, who are specialised in this field, are talking about it and very few are executing the same. The media has to play a larger role in creating awareness about the advantages of green buildings in terms of natural lighting, free flowing breeze, insulation, solar energy solutions and rain water harvesting.”
He continued, “Green roofing has always been related to creating a landscape garden above the roof plate. The biggest challenge is to create a compatible waterproofing application to counter the water seepage issues in the long run. Most of the home owners give up on green roofing in about a year or so, after all the initial excitement of the green patch on their roof plates. This is due to the absence of quality players in this segment; hence very few people get into green roofing.
Growth driversThe industry has just recovered from the slowdown. It is also facing several challenges like lack of awareness among the civil engineers, architects and the contractors; but these couldn’t stop its growth.
While talking about the growth drivers, Mr Koshy said, “Power cuts for many hours especially in tier-two and -three cities in India have driven many of the people to invest in solar panels. This is a classic example where the clients have been forced to search for solutions and found the right product. Awareness campaigns for insulation, rain water harvesting, solar panels, natural lighting etc. are required on a regular basis among the industry players.”
Products in demandSolar panels are becoming cheaper by the day and subsidies are also available by the government. The people, who invest crores to build a house, do not mind spending few lakhs for solar energies. According to Mr Koshy, “Specific waterproofing treatment is also in demand unlike olden days where waterproofing was never focused as an important material on the roof plate. LED lights have also started to come in various sizes and shapes to add to our aesthetics of our comfortable rooms replacing the CFL and all other traditional lighting material.”
Roof Xperts specializes in quality water proofing, thermal insulation and final surface tiles by natural materials like terracotta tiles. The company prefers to give a modern roof design to any home builder instead of the traditional archaic methods failed over the past few decades. Many of the roof plates of posh houses, at least in Chennai, are still filled with brick jelly weathering course (failed and outdated) due to the lack of awareness on the part of architects and civil engineers who plan and design the structure.
Octamec Group offers pre-engineered buildings, nano housing, metal and tensile roofing solutions. Its metal roofing and cladding solutions include Comax 1000 which is an angular trapezoidal fluted profile sheet available in PPGI and PPGL material. Rigidity, strength, lightweight and long capabilities make it the most preferred roofing solution.
The industry is on the verge of quantitative growth for sure; if it can control the price, it’s going to surge.

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