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The market may be dull, but beyond the dullness, the builder has variety— an array of products to choose from. He also has colour, quality and aesthetics to play with. This is the shingles market, otherwise called the roofing materials market.
Activities in the building and construction industry have brought about an influx of these products into Nigeria from different countries of the world, but these, only a few stand out as the builder’s choice. The Gerard Roofing Tiles from New Zealand, and IKO Roofing Shingles from Canada dominate this elite class.
The two products which are exclusively marketed/distributed in Nigeria by Wichtech Industries Limited and Seven Stars Manufacturing Company Limited are easily found in major building materials markets and depots across the country.
According to officials of Wichtech Industries, Gerard roofing materials stand out in the Nigerian market with its unique, new technology and the classic charm which it offers. It is a perfect blend of quality and colour.
Chidozie Nwankwo, the chief executive officer of the company enthused in an interview with our BusinessDay that “we are proud of our products because AHI which is the manufacturer of Gerard shingle is an old technology and the largest quoted company on the New Zealand Stock Exchange. The company has been in the market since the last 100 years in their region where it remains a market leader”.
He disclosed that the product is manufacture through a process of complicated corrugations, adding: “This is coupled with a selection of two contrasting colours of natural stone coatings which combine to create a very classic appearance that reflects light differently according to the angle and direction of the sun while the result is subtle changes in the roof’s shade and tone at different times of the day”.
He said that New Zealander, Lou Fisher, the patent owner of the material, discovered that the bitumen coating used on metal roofs in the UK had extended their life considerably, hence he produced his first coated metal roof tile which gave rise to Gerard Roofing.
Gerard Roofing Tiles are coated with Natural Rock chips, volcanically formed and taken from quarries in New Zealand. These coatings add natural beauty to the roof.
Nwankwo stated that Gerard Roofing systems have been fully appraised and have received test reports from weathering resistance and security, hurricane/cyclone wind resistance, corrosion resistance, concentrated loading, fire resistance and resistance to the impact of hail stones.
“Because of its unique installation method, Gerard Roofing Tiles can withstand earthquake, hurricane winds and monsoon rain and they have been designed to withstand the harshest weather conditions and extremes of nature”, he added.
Hyman Ilonze, Seven Stars’ managing director and chief executive, told Business Day in Lagos that, though new in Nigerian, their roofing shingles have made great impact in the market.
He said that the new product comes with new technology that stands it out from the crowd, pointing out that IKO shingles is much lighter in weight than other products.
“It is a very flexible material and adaptable to any roof design; people who want to invest in special housing design have to use IKO shingles. With the colour of the shingles you can create a personal touch to the roof and the building in general. This is basically different from what obtains in Nigerian market”, he enthused.
He said that his company considered the tropical nature of the weather condition here and even made some tests in the laboratory before exporting the material to this country, adding that the chemical component of the shingles start changing as from 1005-110 Degrees Celsius which is enough to resist heat radiation in a tropical country like Nigeria. “Our shingles are heat resistant and is adaptable to tropical climate”, he added.
Chuka Uroko
