As roofers and builders get prepared for storm and hurricane season across the USA by ordering materials and training staff, they’re also creating jobs – especially if they’re using Stormseal – a unique Australian storm-proof, temporary roof covering which expanded into the USA about a year ago.
Stormseal is not like a tarpaulin – which once on is guaranteed to blow off and leak when the next storm hits. Unlike a tarp, Stormseal is heat sealed onto the roof or wall that needs covering ensuring proper weather proofing.
Stormseal inventor, Matt Lennox, is a builder who got so fed up with having to re-fit flapping tarpaulins he came up with this simple but effective system that will stay put for up to a year, keep a damaged house dry and allow residents to continue living there while awaiting permanent repairs.
“We can tailor the film to fit any roof or wall by a patented welding process, you can’t do that with a tarpaulin,” said Lennox.
“For those trained in Stormseal and preparing for this unpredictable weather season they will not only be ordering the special film, but welding jigs, the Stormseal deployment box plus equipment such as heat and gas guns,” he Lennox.
The equipment and employment
The welding jigs are part of the Stormseal patent process of welding sheets of Stormseal film together using the jigs. These jigs have critical dimensions that allows the Stormseal film to be ‘top-welded’, along with heat gun temperature and wind speed ensures a perfect weld, or joined sheet, every time.
The employment implications are:
- Manufacturing welding jigs employs steel fabricators and powder-coaters
- Manufacturing Stormseal deployment boxes employs steel fabricators and Stormseal direct labour to “fit-out” the box.
- Making more Stormseal film creates manufacturing jobs
- Ordering third part equipment like heat and gas guns provides work for wholesale distributors
- Stormseal training employs training staff to facilitate the four training centres that currently exist.
Good for business
Importantly training to install Stormseal at this time will help expand a builder’s or roofer’s business.
After Hurricane Michael hit a Stormseal trained company called The Pit Crew Roofing said in an article that their team had used tons of Stormseal to aid recovery, installing it on over 100 homes and using it for walls as well as roofs. Their roofers, who they said ‘have a superior understanding of water shedding’ thought Stormseal delivered the best results.
“We won’t go back to using synthetic underlayment, which lasted a maximum of six months, and we’ll never use tarpaulins because they’re totally inadequate. We’re getting customized Stormseal film in different colours, with our logo printed on it,” their spokesperson said.
“The customer feedback on Stormseal has been very positive, which means they’re more likely to call us back to repair their roof once their insurance claim is paid. Using Stormseal is good for our business as well as improving outcomes for storm victims.
“We’ll be putting more of our roofers through Stormseal installer training as soon as possible.”
For Lennox he’s very pleased that Stormseal is helping so many people affected by terrible weather events, and very happy in the way his invention is contributing.
“We are really busy preparing for the Hurricane season and that means manufacturing jobs in the USA,” said Lennox.
“Contractors should be proud that by preparing for the upcoming storm season are in-advertently fuelling job growth in local, related businesses.”
Overall Stormseal is manufactured and distributed in the United States and tested at multiple points during manufacture so has proven its resistance to severe weather in wind-tunnel and hail-impact tests.
Roofing and building businesses anywhere in the United States can attend a hands-on, safety-first, one day training program and be qualified to fit the product.
If you want to expand your business and provide the best for customers suffering storm damage find training information here on the Stormseal website or visit Optimum Training.
