The International Roofing Expo was held in New Orleans on February 24-26th. The show draws about 9,000 visitors and has 450 exhibitors throughout a 3 day period. This is THE roofing show.
The IRE is a great place to see new products and stay current with the industry. Below are a few pictures of my time there:
SRCA
SRCA stands for Slate Roofers Contractor Association. One of the primary goals of the SRCA is expanding education to the next generation of slate roofers. Chris Paulin and Barry Smith are in charge of a training course and more information can be found here. I filmed a video of Chris Paulin (pictured) replacing a piece of slate using this mock up.
Wuko
In this picture are the owners of Wuko, Lucia and Perti Hakula. Wuko is a brand that is picking up traction in the US with their dedication to high quality sheet metal bending and cutting tools. 3 days of demos keeps those forearms Popeye like.
Cool Products
This product is a shrinker / stretcher made in Sweden. Notice the depth of insertion is close to 4-5 inches. Most stretchers in the USA are 1″. The stand is also a major selling point because it allows maximum pressure to be exerted on the metal. Call Stortz, 215-627-3855, for more info.
This is a Schlebach RBM machine. This machine can curve a panel that already has a profile on it with no marks. A hefty $27,000 is attached.
This is a picture of a drone that has a GoPro attached to it. The purpose is to scope out a roof without ever leaving the ground. Very cool.
The IRE is also a great place to catch up with contacts and discuss industry happenings. I want to thank everyone that we do business with who I met at the show and look forward to moving forward together. Don’t forget to check out the Stortz website for new products.
