Malarkey Shingles Feature RFID Microchip Tags

An industry first innovation will microchip shingles and bundles

Oregon-based Malarkey Roofing Products, a member of the Holcim Building Envelope, announced the addition of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to its shingle lines.

“RFID tracking on our products has many obvious benefits for the logistics and production at Malarkey Roofing Products," said Nancy Teague, vice president of engineering. "They will help us continue to streamline our operations and support customers in the near term. Looking further, the ability to track the lifecycle of our products not only validates our superior quality and performance value proposition, but also greatly advances our efforts in circular roofing.”

RFID tags are small microchips commonly used in modern hotel room keys or anti-theft devices at clothing stores. Unlike barcodes, RFID tags can be read by a device even if it is covered by the object or not visible. Additionally, the tags can be read while inside of a container, quickly providing information in bulk, rather than one at a time.

According to Malarkey, in shingle production, this technology aides its team with increased feedback. RFID tags tie with a time stamp to more accurately track material for quality information. The manufacturer says the tags can provide improved visibility into finished product inventories and into the use of raw materials.

Roofing material distributors and contractors can scan the shingles to get the unique tag IDs for the tags within the pallet. Insurance companies can also benefit from the new RFID tags in Malarkey products for their ability to better identify shingles for claims. The data can confirm roof identification for warranty registration and additional customer service.

Only shingles and shingle bundles from Malarkey’s Oklahoma City plant are rolling out with RFID currently, with Portland and South Gate facilities soon to follow.

In future phases, Malarkey intends to associate these numbers with sales orders which will allow the company to verify outbound shipments and match their receipt with the order.