Innovating solutions for the labor shortage

By Emma Peterson. 

As labor shortages continue to impact roofing, Versico Roofing Systems is creating solutions that simplify installation and help crews maximize productivity. 

These days, because of factors such as an aging workforce, immigration policy changes and lack of trade education, the term “labor shortage” feels as commonplace as “PPE” or “flashing” — it’s just a part of working in the roofing industry. To learn about how using the right tools can help you maximize your crew's efficiency, Megan Ellsworth brought Austin Kulp from Versico Roofing Systems on for an episode of Roofing Road Trips®. 

Developing tools that save crews time and labor is something that Versico has dedicated themselves to recently. Austin explained, “When it comes to new product development, we’re really thinking about how we can not only speed up the application process for our contractor base, but also how we can make things simpler to install and lower the number of mistakes that occur during installation.” 

One example of their labor-saving products is Versico’s extended tapered panels. Austin explained how these save time:  

The benefit is reducing the number of panels needed to install a tapered system. So, if we can reduce the number of boards that the installer has to handle install, especially if it is a fully adhered system, we're speeding them up, and at the end of the day, we're saving them money and time on that job, and ultimately, they can move on to the next project quicker. 

This is just one of 15-20 products that have been released in the last five to six years as part of their goal of improving the installation speed of roofing jobs. Austin summed it up well, saying, “The core of our innovation effort is identifying needs and problems that our customers are seeing and developing something that can make their day easier. And the big one everyone is talking about is labor shortages. So this is how we are trying to help.” 

Listen to the episode or Watch it on YouTube to hear more from Austin about the time-saving products Carlisle is producing.