Covid-19 and how building materials will respond
As we start to see a little light at the end of the Covid-19 Pandemic tunnel, new concerns are already emerging. The building supply chain will have suffered a serious blow. Then there is the economic impact that without question will have far reaching impact on quantity and quality of materials, structural sustainability and strength, reaction time to build, the labor force that will build them, and most important, cost effectiveness to a struggling economy.
Below is a link to an article that supports the above statements. In this article, the author forecasts how the building industry will be impacted and additional insights into the long-reaching effects resulting from our current situation.
What if you, as a building material supplier, could respond with an established building technology that possesses panel properties such as ease of assembly, strength, mold resistance, fire resistance and cost-effectiveness.
Builders are recognizing panelized construction, especially Gorilla Composites Inc. SCP’s (Structural Composite Panels) as an amazing alternative. Gorilla Composites Inc. is Re-Introducing this amazing building product in the form of a manufacturing opportunity. This well-established Aero-Space technology was created in the late 1940’ and simplifies field assembly, reducing assembly times to as little as 10% or less of the current building methods. Using the GCI panel technology utilizes a diverse labor force of 70% unskilled and 30% skilled by comparison to labor requirements for conventional construction.
In addition, a typical Gorilla Composites 4.5” thick panel has a .2 “U” value. This means the GCI panel only requires .2 BTU’s per square foot exposed wall and roof to maintain 75-degrees F inside with a 0-degree temperature outside in a 15-mph wind. That math should catch your attention.
NOTE: “U” value applies to repetitive products manufactured on a controlled production line that can be tested in a laboratory, such as doors and windows. No more guessing about “R” value when the house is finished; “U” values are laboratory tested fact.
The big question: Why did the need for this marvelous technology slow down for use in the construction industry? Easy to answer. In the 1980’s into the low 2000’s, consumers and builders alike felt, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Everyone loved the look of a massive endeavor to build their home. The fact that it took a lot of time was perceived as quality. During this period of time there was plenty of labor, the housing market was booming, cost was no real concern and there were plenty of buyers.
The Covid-19 repercussions are accelerating what we were starting with the “market forward builders” as a viable and preferred alternative. The past 10 years of catastrophic events here in the USA and abroad have demonstrated the old style of building just does not cut it anymore. New Orleans still needs to replace more than half of the homes they lost with Hurricane Katrina. Many areas are still in serious need of rebuilding, such as Haiti, the Bahamas, South Texas to name a few. Every year brings new challenges from catastrophes such as tornados and hurricanes where GCI response times can be of great benefit.
The Gorilla Composite SCP’s are assembled on a precision automated production line with 7 employees, at a rate of one per minute to a tolerance of 2mm. Builders buy their doors and windows and now can buy GCI SCP panels with the exact same purchasing model. The GCI panel line produces 4’ x 8’ x 4.5” panels with varying thicknesses as desired.
NOTE: thickness can be tailored to builder needs. This means simpler, faster quotes from builder to the customer, unlimited assembly styles and your HVAC company will love the fact that their systems will do the job efficiently. And most important of all is predictable building material pricing, with no random price increases, which makes you a preferred supplier.
If you would like more information on this amazing manufacturing opportunity, please contact Terry Lammers at 618-530-8922 or terry@innovativeba.com