Roof Hugger unveils reinforced hugger, paving the way for enhanced uplift values

Representatives from Roof Hugger shared their latest innovation, the reinforced sub-purlin. 

In an interview at METALCON, representatives from Roof Hugger shared insights into the success of their exhibit and the groundbreaking product they showcased there. Reflecting on the show, D.J. Highnote, product advisor and vice president of Roof Hugger, expressed excitement about the genuine interest from attendees, stating, "Both days we've had some really good traffic, really authentic people wanting to know about the product. Not coming by to see what kind of candy we have, which is nice." 

The highlight of the interview was Roof Hugger's latest achievement – the patented reinforced hugger. DJ shared, "We're excited about our reinforced hugger, which we have now finally got our patent on. It's going into testing probably next month, within a month."  

Dale Nelson, president of Roof Hugger, explained the purpose of the innovation, stating that it gives roofs enhanced uplight values for high wind conditions. "We're trying to do what we can make the components as strong as possible to give us the highest possible values for the new panel," he said. 

The two also emphasized Roof Hugger's commitment to data-backed solutions. Dale said that they’ve gathered enough data in their computerized tests to determine that Roof Hugger adds capacity to the existing building permit. “If you install Roof Huggers over the existing purlins, we actually add more spring and so they can take more load in areas where we have high snow loads or they're under hot equipment,” he said. 

DJ said that the next big show they will be at is the 2024 International Roofing Expo (IRE). Not only that, but he will be hosting a seminar with McElroy Metal at the show. He said, “Me and McElroy will be putting on a little seminar on retrofitting over three facet panels and installing solar to those standing seam panels."