Why Metal Roof Manufacturing is an Essential Business

This is certainly an unprecedented time in our history with the worldwide outbreak of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. The virus has spurred a plethora of varying responses nationwide as individual states and counties introduce legislation, mandates and executive orders that restrict certain businesses from performing daily operations and prohibit certain employees from reporting to work. By now we're all familiar with certain buzzwords and phrases surrounding the pandemic. Phrases like "essential business" and "essential employee" are a part of our daily news cycle right now. Most states have produced their own unique list of what they qualify as an "essential business", however, most of the lists are generally the same.

Manufacturing, distribution and supply chain for critical industries has been universally classified as an essential business. What makes metal roof manufacturing fall under this category?

A roof is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

When people talk about things they are thankful for there's a reason the old saying "a roof over my head" is usually stated. A roof is the first line of defense against the elements for a residential home or a place of business. A leaking or damaged roof will allow moisture into the home which will lead to conditions not suitable for living including rotted materials, mold, and even flooding depending on the severity of the leak. There is a wide array of destructive and hazardous circumstances that can arise from having a damaged roof.

Metal roofing is a primary roofing material.

Metal roofing now claims ownership of over 15% of roofing market in the United States and continues to rise year over year. It offers unmatched energy efficiency, durability, and recyclability for the price point and is arguably the most financially responsible roofing material that can be purchased given it's performance ratings. Metal roofing and siding is not only a favorable choice for residential use but it is often a required material for critical infrastructure like fire departments, agricultural buildings, supply chain warehouses, coastal buildings, and more. It's important to the continuation and addition of many vital services across various industries that metal panels are able to be produced for construction.

Mother nature doesn't pause for pandemics.

As we've recently witnessed with recent severe storms and tornado outbreaks across the central U.S. and south-east, inclement weather conditions give no mind to our struggle with Coronavirus. When severe storms and tornadoes ravage communities and damage or destroy homes and vital infrastructure, we can't very well consider the rebuilding of those communities as non-essential. Metal roofing and siding manufacturing must continue to provide the necessary materials to recover from natural disasters and storm damage.

The supply chain relies on metal manufacturing.

Many other essential businesses such as agricultural businesses, warehouses, big-box stores, hardware stores and other distributors all rely on manufacturers to produce materials that they supply or utilize. When manufacturing stops, the supply chain does too which restricts or prohibits other essential business from functioning properly or at all in some cases.