LUDLOW –The Duro-Last roofing plant in Ludlow has been such a success since it opened last June, the management is considering adding a second shift, according to Business Development Manager Dave Cronin.

Cronin explained to Reminder Publications the company, which has its headquarters in Saginaw, MI, opened the Ludlow facility to serve the Northeast and is one of six facilities the company has around the nation.

Currently employing 25 people, Cronin said regional reaction to the roofing product has been strong. The Ludlow facility services businesses from Maine to Virginia.

Cronin explained the company custom manufactures commercial roofing, as well as pre-manufactures flashing, drains and vents that fit precisely on the roofing installation. He said traditionally roofers make such features by hand.

Their materials and manufacturing operations are all proprietary, Cronin said.

The company will take an aerial photo of the roof to be replaced and then design it, Cronin said. The pre-manufacture of such elements such as vents, as well as the roof, saves on labor costs in the installation, he added.

“We get involved directly [with a job] from beginning to the end,” he said.
The company also trains roofing contractors on how to install a Duro-last roof. Each section of roofing is marked so installation is easier, Cronin said.

Along with vents and flashing, the company also includes all of the fasteners.

The company has done considerable modifications at the building that was built in 1994 for Horizon Beverages, Cronin explained. Columns had to be removed to make room for the 100 foot-long machine that makes the roofs out of the Duro-Last Membrane.

That machine can produce 2,500 square foot of membrane in one sheet.

The membrane is energy efficient and highly resistant to grease and oil, which Cronin explained, “That’s why the restaurant business does business with us.”

The company is the largest roofing supplier to the chain restaurant industry with the exception of McDonald’s, he said. On an annual basis the company supplies roofs for 2,500 restaurants.

“Because it’s pre-fabricated, there is greater quality control,’ Cronin said.

He added the membrane is easily recycled and fire resistant.

The company is the only roofing company that offers a “consequential damages warranty,” Cronin explained means the company covers the interior damage to a business caused by a leak in one of its roofs.

For more information, go to https://duro-last.com.