It is the questions that all roofers are asked, and most of them have asked many times: How can I save more on labor costs?
Luckily, Wally Brown from Illinois can help clear up some of the questions surrounding money-saving measures that you can use to make your job run as efficiently as possible. Wally has been in roofing for over 18 years and is now a Senior Single Ply Commercial Roofing Specialist with GAF.
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Saving money in labor and production can be easily done in a number of ways. Small measures, such as staging a job, is vital. By placing your materials in strategic places on the roof, you are cutting down on the manpower that would be needed to move the material around the roof as you go. When deciding on your staging areas, a good foreman will be able to mark the roof appropriately and flag specific areas where material placement should take place.
Another small measure that will pay off in huge dividends is to clean as you go. By keeping your area clean, you are not losing time by looking for lost materials or tools. Also, a clean and tidy roof helps to keep your crew working safely by not having hazards in the way that they may trip over. Having loose materials on the roof is also a hazard to those below you. Having a gust of wind blow something off the roof can have dire consequences. By cleaning as you go, you can minimize the chance of many mishaps before they happen.
Know what large equipment should be used, and when to call them in. Cranes can be expensive, and the last thing you want is to be paying them by the hour to sit and wait to upload or offload a roof. By gauging your material deliveries, placement, and roofing speed, you can minimize the idle time for the crane. Weigh your options. Do you have a roof covered in ballast? Does it make more sense to have the crew shoveling the ballast around the roof or is it better to call in a vacuum truck to remove and replace the ballast as needed? Make use of your numbers, and keep in mind that your crew will be exhausted from removing ballast from the roof, and it may end up costing your more in labor costs and lost production from exhaustion than it would to utilize the roof vacuum truck.
Your foreman should do a daily assessment to know what upcoming needs they may have. Sometimes material deliveries can take more than a day, and if you run out of something vital, your job will come to a standstill, and production for the rest of the day is lost. Knowing your crew and their abilities is a huge help when estimating how quickly they will move through their materials.
And, remember, ongoing training is an investment in your company and your crew. By always training, you are kept up to date on the newest technology and techniques. The commercial roof industry is constantly changing, and by staying abreast of it, you are more competitive in the industry. By utilizing training, your crew will learn more and become more efficient with their tools. This will enhance their speed and knowledge which equates to cutting labor costs (which pays off big time in the long run).
Take the time to check your work as well. Many companies are now using robot welding machines, and machines can often need recalibration. Losing ten or fifteen minutes a day by checking for cold welds by doing test hand welds is a much better option than working all day just to realize that the calibration was off on your robot and you have to spend an entire day going back over the work you already completed. It is always advisable to write the date, time, and heat temperature on your test weld and save them. They can certainly come in handy if your welding is ever in question.
If you find any of these tips to be valuable, make sure to listen to this week’s full episode.
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