The Growing Popularity of Rollforming Machines

New Tech Machinery's Tom Laird tells us about how roofers are jumping to buy their rollformer and gutter machines.

Editor's note: The following is a conversation between RoofersCoffeeShop® President Heidi Ellsworth, and New Tech Machinery's National Sales Manager, Tom Laird. You can watch the video or read the transcript below.

Heidi Ellsworth: This is Heidi Ellsworth and we are live here at METALCON with Tom Laird from New Tech Machinery. Hello.

Tom Laird: Hello, it's so good to be here.

Heidi Ellsworth: It's been so long.

Tom Laird: Oh, I know.

Heidi Ellsworth: I know. I'm so happy to see you. You know what, we're sitting right now in the New Tech Machinery sponsored booth for Live Coffee Conversations with Metal Coffee Shop. Thank you so much.

Tom Laird: Oh, no, it's my pleasure to be here. And this is my 17th METALCON. And New Tech Machinery is one of the original displayers of equipment exhibitors here at METALCON. So it's great to be back and see all these smiling faces and people that are ready to grow their business and get more into the metal construction industry.

Heidi Ellsworth: It's so good. And I have to say, for some of you out there who maybe have been watching, getting your notifications and watching. This may seem like a little bit of deja vu that Tom and I are speaking.

Tom Laird: Well, yeah. We won't talk about that.

Heidi Ellsworth: But yeah, we are here right now. Okay. So METALCON, lots of people out on the show floor, it's looking really great. Tell us about the new tech booth. What do you've got in there?

Tom Laird: Well, this year, we have our flagship machine, our SSQ II, which is the most versatile standing tin roofing machine in the world today. Makes 15 different panel profiles and we're displaying our newest addition to the family, a board and batten siding profile for the SSQ II machine.

Heidi Ellsworth: I love board and batten. Our house is board and batten. It's not metal board and batten. But it is board and batten. So it's a great profile.

Tom Laird: It is. And obviously you get that look and the beauty of that profile in the durability and design of metal. Very cool.

Heidi Ellsworth: Oh that, very cool. And what are you seeing? I mean, we are seeing a lot of growth in metal. Contractors who maybe haven't installed before, are now installing metal but they're also roll forming, doing their own roof forming.

Tom Laird: Right, yes. And our industry has just taken off in the last four, five years. Metal roll forming has been around for decades but the popularity and the durability and ease of use of the machines has just gotten better and better over the last several years. So it's kind of a golden age for us right now.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, and we're seeing that homeowners are really requesting. I mean, we're seeing that growth and metal because they want the sustainability, they want the beauty, they want the performance of what metal can deliver and so the contractors are diversifying. You know who you are out there, you're doing it. And we've been talking about that a lot on the Metal Coffee Shop.

Tom Laird: Sure. And that's the beauty of having a portable roll former, what we call metal roofing on demand. Being able to take your machine right to a job site, have less waste, not worried about freight damage. You get what you want when you need it.

Heidi Ellsworth: And it's impressive to the homeowners and building owners.

Tom Laird: Oh, absolutely. They love seeing that the product that's going on the roof being made right in front of their eyes.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, just imagine doing that in the middle of a neighborhood and all the neighbors are watching and they're like, "I want that. I want that."

Tom Laird: Yep, exactly.

Heidi Ellsworth: I love it. And you also are doing tons on the gutter front too.

Tom Laird: Absolutely. Our Mach II K-Style Gutter Machines and we sell hundreds of those machines all over the world every year. And gutter contractors or roofing contractors, siding contractors they decide it's time to get into the gutter business. Or getting those machines to be able to do this.

Heidi Ellsworth: That's what we're hearing a lot that you're on, especially exterior contractors who are doing roofing, siding. They're like, "Why shouldn't we be doing the gutters?" But we're hearing it from roofing contractors too. That really are adding gutters as a prime offering.

Tom Laird: We get calls all the time from guys that are like, "Hey, I can't wait for my subs anymore. I've decided I got to take control of my own business and so I want to get a gutter machine."

Heidi Ellsworth: Taking control of your business, that's really what it's all about, isn't it? And it's really what you guys deliver. And you deliver the machines to take control of your own business.

Tom Laird: Yes, control your own destiny instead of leaving it in the hands of others. That's portable roll for me.

Heidi Ellsworth: I love it. Okay. So now what booth are you in?

Tom Laird: We're in 1321, if you're here at the show. So stop by and say hello. We got all kinds of swag over there.

Heidi Ellsworth: So all kinds of great thing and great people. Great people to visit with.

Tom Laird: I'd like to think so.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah. And talking about great people, we're going to have Terry McGuire here in about an hour.

Tom Laird: Yes, our vice president.

Heidi Ellsworth: Our new, kind of new vice president.

Tom Laird: Been around for about a year now. And Terry's a Marine and one of the most personable great guys, has just taken our company to the next level. So we're all excited to have him on board with us.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, I've been really impressed. I'm impressed for all of you.

Tom Laird: That's awesome.

Heidi Ellsworth: Hailey, Tom, Terry, Katie, you name it, keep going.

Tom Laird: I love it.

Heidi Ellsworth: Right? I know.

Tom Laird: That's right.

Heidi Ellsworth: Okay, great. If you're not at the show and you can't get by to 1321, I just want you to know, you can find everything you want to about New Tech Machinery on both the Metal Coffee Shop and Roofer's Coffee Shop directories.

Tom Laird: Absolutely.

Heidi Ellsworth: Plus tons of articles, videos, videos that we've done at shows before. In fact you were saying earlier, you're like, "Haley, you can get here and here."

Tom Laird: Oh, Haley gets all the fun. So I was like, "I'm doing this one today."

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, we're getting Tom. That's what we're going to do, so that is perfect. And again, I just want to say a big thank you to New Tech Machinery as being the sponsor of our sound stage and of the coffee conversation here at METALCON.

Tom Laird: Our pleasure. We love what you guys do for our industry and anything we can do to help support it and move us all forward, it's great.

Heidi Ellsworth: It's kind of fun to be able to bring the show to everybody out there. Oh, I love it.

Tom Laird: I know, me too.

Heidi Ellsworth: Absolutely.

Tom Laird: So stay tuned cause we have a lot coming up and within an hour, we're going to have live Coffee Conversations, so don't miss it. Be sure you have subscribed and rang the bell so you get all the notifications.

Heidi Ellsworth: You got it.

Tom Laird: Tom, thank you.

Learn more about New Tech Machinery in their directory or visit www.newtechmachinery.com.