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ROOFING


ROOFING RESULTS IN A DIGITAL AGE


New technology from manufacturers can support merchants and their businesses, as BMJ finds out.


BMI CELEBRATES REDLAND CENTENERY


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igital technology has evolved drastically. Today, 93%of people within the construction


and building industry say that digital affects every part of the build process from buying products from a merchant to the development stage .


So says Mark Parsons, technical director at Russell Roof Tiles. “Manufacturers have recognised this growing need for technology and many have enhanced their service offering drastically to offer better support to merchants and their customers,” he says. “Merchants can now benefit from quick and easy to use online systems which provides information at a click of the finger, technical advice and can speed up the buying and specifying process.”


Parsons says that Russell’s free web-based Tile Estimator helps users discover how many tiles are needed for a project in just two minutes.


Merchants can easily access and navigate the Tile Estimator from Russell Roof Tiles’ website and then are asked to supply some key details such as preferred roof tile and colour. The merchant is then instantly provided with a quote. “Hundreds of Russell Roof Tiles customers have already


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benefitted from the technology with more than 1,200 estimations having been completed within the last 12 months,” he says. A simple Ask the Expert form on the website also puts the merchant in touch with one of the manufacturer’s technical experts to support with queries. A Sample Request Form provides the opportunity for merchants to request a full-size tile sample before buying and the Fixing Specification form helps merchants’ customers get hold of specifications quickly, by entering in a few key details. “By investing in and


developing digital technology, manufacturers, like us are able to offer merchants an improved service, with additional support available” Parsons adds. “Digital tools are fundamental in helping them get hold of information and specifications quickly, saving considerable time in the process. This helps speed up productivity and can ultimately save the merchant money in the process.


“In a digital age, where technology will continue to evolve and adapt to different needs, it is important to adopt the technology now. Only, then will merchants see the added value from digital for their business.”


oofing supplier BMI UK & Ireland is celebrating 100 years of concrete tile manufacture in 2019, making it the oldest concrete tile maker in the UK.


In November 1919 the Redhill Tile Company was founded, making roof tiles, at the rate of 40 an hour, in a sand pit in Reigate, Surrey. The tiles were particularly popular for the mass market following the General Strike of 1926, when strikes put the coal- fired plants producing clay items out of action.


When the Blitz in the 1940s took its toll on roofs, particularly those in London, the urgent need to replace these saw a huge surge in house-building and the Redland 49 medium-format interlocking cambered tile was launched. Launched in 1949, it was the first single-lap concrete tile and its use is still very widespread throughout the city.


In slightly less-pressured circumstances, 1950 saw the launch of the Redland 50 Double Roman. The first variable headlap tile, Double Romans hark back, as the name suggests, to the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 AD. The tiles are based on their imbrex and tegula tiles and modern Double Romans come as interlocking concrete tiles, mimicking the effect of the original ancient profile while being compatible with a wide range of fittings and accessories.


In 1963, Redland launch Stonewold II. Used on thousands of roofs across the country,


Stonewold II is the original flat-profile concrete slate with interlocking edges. Imperially- sized and suited to larger roofs with pitches as low as 17.5o, it is ideal for achieving a cost-effective slated roof effect. Impressively, the original tile line is still in use. In 1965, Redland built the construction industry's first wind tunnel, dedicated to the testing of roof systems in the harshest weather conditions and, the following year invented the concept of dry fix roofing, with its first patent for a dry verge system. Dry fix has now become the norm.


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net October 2019


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