As 2018 draws to a close, it’s a great time to identify what trends have been driving the commercial roofing industry in recent months, then analyze them to find out how contractors, designers and other industry professionals can be best prepared to hit the ground running in 2019. We touched base with two industry veterans — SOPREMA USA’s Jeremiah Price, district sales manager, and Bryan Beth, Midwest regional manager — who work closely with roofing contractors, consultants, architects, engineers and designers across the country to find out what they are seeing and hearing. Despite the wide geographic regions these experts cover, their insights were nearly identical: There are several distinct themes commercial roofing professionals should keep an eye on in the new year and beyond.

Across the country, designers, architects and engineers are overwhelmed by the number of choices they have to consider when putting together project specs. Roofing was often not covered in depth when these professionals were in school, yet complicated decisions must be made regarding material choices and application methods. Decisions are thus often being made based on what products meet ASTM and similar standards (which dictate minimum requirements for performance). Even more alarming, is the trend of designing assemblies based almost exclusively on warranty terms.