There were very few revelations in the roofing industry last year.
The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) made a conscious decision to monitor the evolution of TPOs in the U.S. roofing market. The association felt it missed the opportunity to monitor the evolution of EPDM, and the NRCA’s database, Project Pinpoint, has tracked EPDM problems through the years. But without reasonable initial data, much of the “crystal ball” effect from input to Project Pinpoint is lost among other potential problem contributors to the EPDM roof systems. In the NRCA’s test program, available TPO membranes are purchased on the open market and regularly subjected to testing to evaluate compound components and to trace formulation changes in the materials produced by various manufacturers. Only time will tell how valuable this monitoring will be to roofing contractors, but it is the first time that the NRCA has become involved in regular testing and tracking of the evolution and consistency of a roofing material.