Roofing industry to reach new height

A detailed analysis on roofing industry in India and why the industry is on the right track towards the growth
The Indian construction industry has witnessed a significant evolution in roofing systems across different sectors. The current status of roofing industry also gives a special focus on asbestos, tile and metal roofing segments, which makes it happening ever before. With a dedicated impetus on infrastructure segment, the future of roofing segment is going to reach beyond expectation.
ExpectationIndia Inc. is expecting a GDP growth of 7 per cent for 2015-16. According to Jatin Gandhi, CEO, COLORSHINE, India should be soon witnessing, under normal and stable economic situation, a potential blooming in the roofing segment. The new industrial sheds and warehouse construction, as he believes, will be a plenty, besides new addition in mass communication centres like airports and railway stations and heavy infrastructure projects in the field of mining, cement and ports, all of which would give a major boost to the roofing segment in India.
“The current trend is the use of colour-coated metallic roofing systems across all the major green field and brown field industrial projects,” says Ajay Rattan, General Manager- Sales and Marketing (LYSAGHT), Tata BlueScope Steel. “After increased awareness on hazards associated with production and usage of asbestos roofing, the roofing requirements of the Indian customers are met in the form of metallic and non-metallic types. The major reasons for this practice are durability, high strength, economical and faster construction, design flexibility and improved aesthetics.”
Considering the varied requirements of the Indian roofing industry, Tata BlueScope Steel under its flagship LYSAGHT brand offers 11 different colour-coated steel roofing and wall-cladding solutions.
There is also a growing awareness about the advantages of sustainability and long-term cost effectiveness. “The future is in sustainable materials,” believes Dinesh Jaikumar, Director – Operations, SunGreen Ventilation Systems Pvt. Ltd. “Turnkey projects where roofing is not just a structure to cover the building but an integral part of the entire space provides support to other systems such as HVAC, lighting, energy generation and so forth.”
Foreseeing this, Mr Jaikumar gives it focus in providing complete turnkey solutions that incorporate its cost-effective, green trussless roofing with custom, energy-efficient HVAC systems in record time.
Then there is pre-engineering buildings (PEBs) which have emerged and provided cost-effective roofing solutions. With more optimum designs and better quality construction, the building construction costs have lowered at the same time, with quality standards.
An experienced team of fabrication experts, engineers and HVAC specialists places Green Curve Roofing Systems apart from the usual roofing contractors. He explains, “We provide solutions that ensure the design is implemented to increase the lifespan, ensure functionality and provides optimum conditions, both process and comfort for the most efficient and productive use of the space. Hence we provide a roofing system that has perfect synergy with the entire building and its use, placing us in a different league.”
Key issues and trends in the marketThe Indian roofing industry has witnessed a sustainable growth and is preparing for its next generation of ambitious projects. A major shift is observed from clay tiles and conventional roofing systems to metal cladding solutions. Today customers are looking for architectural solutions which enable innovative shapes in addition to attractive colours.
The key issues facing the roofing market at present is an emphasis on lowering costs, at any cost. According to Mr Jaikumar, “This has led to sub-standard construction and deterioration on quality, increasing costs for the client in the longer run. Educating the market on the importance of quality and the advances in roofing is a trend that has developed due to this issue.”
Compromising on costs also brings the problem of leaking. Unskilled labour, no expert supervision and other by-products of cheap materials lead to a building without adequate weatherproof.“Another trend is the emphasis on sustainability as mentioned above and safety,” adds Mr Jaikumar. “Worker conditions and the feasibility of the structure for long use and expansion are taken into account by knowledgeable clients and roofing system providers. We, at Green Curve, place extra emphasis on worker safety and have a trained team that ensures you have a precise construction.”
Businesses to the next levelGreen Curve continues providing sustainable, cost-effective and engineered solutions. The company further plans include taking its HVAC incorporated roofing to the next stage. Its emphasis on R&D to provide roofing and HVAC solutions will help sustain costs, even lower, in the longer run.
Over the past 3 years, COLORSHINE has witness a major change in customer choice and behaviour. It is found that there is a shift towards application of sheets in earthly and ecological-friendly colours in roofing and cladding of commercial housing, industrial sheds and turnkey infrastructural projects. Its pre-painted coils are also very popular with the roofing and cladding industry due to durability, strength and cost-competitiveness.
COLORSHINE coils are now readily available in wide range of thickness and 20 earthly colour shades. The eco-friendly paint and organic coating for higher paint adherence and anti-corrosion gives COLORSHINE coils an added advantage.“This year we are witnessing a major shift in rural roofing demand,” says Mr Gandhi, “customer preference shifting to pre-painted roofing profiled and trapezoidal sheets from galvanised corrugated sheets. Once pan India distribution and stock points are established at all major Indian cities, COLORSHINE would have a major share in the pre-painted steel roofing segment.
Tata BlueScope is also one of the torch bearers in introducing advanced roofing technologies for the Indian construction sector. Its LYSAGHT brand enjoys a legacy of over 150 years along with the support of the strong team of design engineers, fully backed up by R&D team of BlueScope Steel, Australia. LYSAGHT has introduced several innovative, high-quality products as per the demands of the market. Its some of the technologically advanced steel roofing products are:• FLEX-LOK 400 caters to the challenging designs comprising of different geometrical shapes and curvatures (concave and convex) in the roofing systems.• SMARTDEK 51 is a unique decking product for concrete slabs and beams to replace conventional construction practices, especially in the construction of high-rises• VARYDEK profile is suitable for different load conditions since the profile is available in multiple widths and offers superior load resistance• LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 facilitates the installation of PV panels on roof tops with the use of specially designed clips.
————Educating the market on the importance of quality and the advances in roofing is a trend that has developed due to this issue.
Dinesh Jaikumar, Director – Operations, SunGreen Ventilation Systems————-
————-The current trend is the use of colour-coated metallic roofing systems across all the major green field and brown field industrial projects.
Ajay Rattan, General Manager- Sales and Marketing (LYSAGHT), Tata BlueScope Steel————-
———–Customer preference shifting to pre-painted roofing profiled and trapezoidal sheets from galvanised corrugated sheets.
Jatin Gandhi, CEO, COLORSHINE

25