Tested to perform

By Emma Peterson. 

AWIP’s Bob Beaird explains how rigorous FM testing helps ensure roofing and wall systems deliver proven performance, safety and quality. 

In the roofing and construction industries, there is a drive to always be developing better products. The goal with this is to create products that make our built environment more energy efficient, more durable and more safe. This drive is something that Robert “Bob” Beaird is intimately familiar with as All Weather Insulated Panels (AWIP)’s product development team lead. He explained, “We like to improve upon existing products based on aspects like efficiency and evolving climates as well as use new technologies to create new products.” 

And a big part of this development process is getting products tested. At AWIP, they specifically send their products to FM Global Insurance Companies (FM) for testing. FM  is an insurance company that has developed some of the leading engineering-based testing standards for construction materials. Bob shared a bit about what these standards test for, saying, “The standards are a complete package. So for any product, the testing will consist of  material properties, structural performance, and fire performance considering every unique component within an assembly.” 

The result of this rigorous examination is the development of high-quality products that have been proven to perform. Bob explained:  

FM approvals are a sign of really high quality. This is in part because the test standards themselves are stringent and very complete and thorough, but also because FM Approvals involve an audit of all manufacturing locations to ensure that customers are getting the same product that was sent to FM for testing. 

An example of one of AWIP’s offerings that has achieved FM Approvals is their OneDek® product. Bob dove into OneDek’s FM approvals:  

The approvals that AWIP has achieved for OneDek are FM4470 and FM4471. The former, 4470, is a test standard required for typical low-slope roofing systems that use single-ply membranes related to wind uplift resistance, fire performance and combustibility. As for 4471, it is a standard for Class 1 roof systems typically used for insulated roof panels or metal roof panels. 

What these two approvals showcase is OneDek’s ability to perform both as a durable roofing system and as an insulation layer. And this is just one of AWIP’s products that have been certified with FM Approvals. As Bob put it, “As of today, AWIP has dozens of roof and wall products in the FM Approval Database... For building owners, this shows AWIP's commitment to creating high-quality products with verifiable, tested assemblies.”  

Learn more about AWIP’s FM Approved wall and roof products!