Business disruptions due to the coronavirus are becoming the norm for business operations across the country and the roofing industry is no exception. But, during this time, many companies in the roofing industry, from contractors and distributors to manufacturers, are finding unique ways to combat these challenges and continue operating during an incredibly difficult time filled with uncertainty.
Your colleagues at TAMKO have looked at a variety of industry polls, combed online resources and done our own internal surveying to consolidate some of the actions your peers in the roofing industry are taking to respond to the coronavirus crisis.
Contractors
The top action contractors have taken in response to the coronavirus, as shown by a National Roofing Contractors’ survey of their members, is issuing guidance to their employees about staying healthy during this time. Close to 100% of the survey’s respondents indicated they have taken this step. Other commonly taken steps include:
- Instituting work from home policies for office staff
- Moving away from canvasing neighborhoods, instead using mass phone calls and emails to find new business
- Limiting crew size allowed per job, sometimes by as much as half
- Limiting employees to one person per company vehicle
- Using digital estimating and bidding tools to reduce the need for face-to-face contact with homeowners
- Implementing better hygiene practices with crews and in offices, and distributing gloves, masks and sanitizer
- Closing offices to outside visitors – homeowners, vendor reps, distributors, etc.
- Using digital communication tools to get homeowner signatures and collect approvals and reviews
- Offering special lock-in pricing or promotions to homeowners to help close deals during a time when job cancelations seem to be going up
Distributors
Many distributors continue to stay open and functioning, but have taken a variety of actions to reduce their risks associated with the coronavirus. Some of the most commonly taken steps include:
- Closing showrooms and facilities to the public and to vendor reps
- Limiting the number of contractors allowed inside stores and yards
- Having their sales reps conduct all business by phone, email or virtual meeting
- Decreasing staff hours in physical stores and warehouse locations and operating smaller, rotating personnel shifts to limit contact
- Creating fast-lane, curbside or outdoor contractor pick-up areas and procedures
- Constructing barriers at counters, featuring glass separations between contractors in the lobby area and distributor staff in the offices
- Offering free or reduced delivery to jobsites to reduce contractor visits to yards
- Distribution of gloves, masks and sanitizer to be used by all employees
- Increased (some hourly, 3-times a day or daily) cleaning of common surfaces and areas
- Ordering extra material to stock their locations to reduce number of delivery driver drop-offs
Manufacturers
As a result of state-by-state changes to what is considered an “Essential Business,” many manufacturers are facing uncertainty when it comes to getting the much-needed raw materials into their plants required to manufacture specific products.
And like many other businesses, manufacturers are concerned about the health and safety of their employees, customers, vendors and their families. Here are some of the steps that TAMKO has taken to help keep their communities safer during this coronavirus outbreak:
- Implemented extensive work from home capabilities, deploying amounts and levels of technology to accomplish this that are unprecedented compared to the company’s previous 75 years in business
- Put in place heightened hygiene requirements to enter TAMKO facilities
- Created separate, and sometimes outdoor, breakroom and bathroom facilities for truck drivers at TAMKO’s docks
- Canceled business travel for employees
- Implemented new policies regarding quarantine procedures for employees
- Postponed all customer events and outside vendor and customer meetings
- Moved all employee meetings to a digital format
- Implemented new cross-docking procedures at several manufacturing and warehouse locations
We understand this situation is affecting everyone in our industry and encourage all of our customers and vendors to continue to stay updated with the most current information as the situation is changing rapidly, and to continue to adjust your business plans and strategies to keep yourselves and your employees safe during this time.
Disclaimer: The information provided does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. This website contains links to other third-party websites and TAMKO is not responsible for the availability, content or accuracy of those other websites. Readers of this website should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter.