In our recent article on XPS insulation, we explained how SOPREMA is not just a waterproofing company but your one-stop-shop, acting as your single point of warranty and advice for the entire building envelope. Obviously, our systems approach not only applies to our XPS range; it affects all of our products and systems – from bitumen to synthetic and liquid waterproofing , and from PIR to PAVATEX insulation. Read on to find out about our roofing service and everything else SOPREMA can do for you – besides providing original, high-performing and high-tech material.
SOPREMA’s External Service
1. Roofing company with approved contractors
As a roofing company, we have an extensive contractor network of approved SOPREMA installers. Before contractors can come on board with us, they must prove they have the skills required to carry out the works. We look into their qualifications – an NVQ diploma or manufacturer approval cards, for instance – and invite them to our very own training centre, where we train them to handle the SOPREMA materials that match their skill set. Once they have finished the necessary training, we issue them with their ‘approved installer card’ and they can get to work throughout the UK.
2. On-site inspectors: advice and warranty
Our customers can rely on SOPREMA’s on-site team. Our site technicians, who all have waterproofing installation experience, carry out inspections, give advice and provide technical support wherever necessary. After their initial visit, they issue a report to the approved contractor involved, who passes on the report to the main contractor. This dynamic carries on throughout the project, as SOPREMA keeps a close eye on the progress of the installation, until the final inspection of the site. After the site technician has approved the work and drawn up a final report, the contractor can apply for a warranty, which we subsequently issue for the duration of the particular project (twenty, twenty-five, thirty or even forty years).
3. Specification: guidelines one can rely on
The SOPREMA technical department also offers bespoke detailed specifications , providing contractors with specific guidelines before the start of the project – from the accessories to be used to the project safety conditions and the actual execution. The site technicians make sure the works are carried out according to the code of practice described. Our products and their specification data are showcased on the National BIM Library and the National Building Specification Source website.
SOPREMA’s In-House Services
1. (Warranty) complaints
Complaints are meticulously registered within our bespoke ERP system, which logs any complaint and pushes it through to any other relevant stakeholder within the complaints process within SOPREMA globally. Potential warranty claims are also logged in the same system, requiring us to create a file containing, among other things, a standard set of questions (to find out if there have been other works done on the roof), the maintenance schedule, pictures of the area and a copy of the warranty document. In the case of a problem, we would assess the situation and investigate the problem with the contractor. Yet we are proud to say that our insurance cover to our Sopracover warranty has never been called upon.
Experience has taught us that, in nearly 100% of the cases, problems are caused by mechanical damage. It can also be that on new builds, an adjacent flashing that has not been installed by the roofing contractor is not terminated correctly. This is why the accessories supplied with the system should be utilised. In any case, we remain on board to advise and work with the contractor or client to come up with a solution.
2. Training requests
SOPREMA provides expert courses on the techniques and applications required to install our systems (natural insulation, synthetic, liquid and bituminous systems), offering contractors plenty of opportunities to improve their knowledge of our materials and remain up-to-date. Our administrators process all training requests and keep a record of installers who have participated in our training programmes.
3. Calculations (roofing service & more)
We not only address the needs of our clients by providing innovative products, but also by carrying out the necessary calculations to support contractors and specifiers. When a contractor needs a U-Value calculation on XPS insulation, they complete a request form, we do the calculations to confirm the thermal validity of the insulation (or suggest adaptations where needed) and keep a record of it. Clients can also visit our brand new online U-Value calculator, where in a few simple steps a U-Value calculation can be obtained at their convenience.
In addition, we can help with drainage calculations as a roofing service, looking at the size of the outlets and determining how many are needed on the roof area in question, and with WUFI calculations to assess any moisture movement throughout the construction and the validity of the thermal performance of PAVATEX/ISOLAIR insulation panels to be used in a building.
4. Technical drawings
We share our knowledge with our customers through a wide range of technical drawings within our systems drawing library, in line with the latest industry codes of practice from NHBC and British standards. Our in-house CAD drawing process starts when a contractor makes a request. Once the timeline has been agreed, we produce the drawing. The results can go back and forth, making amendments to the drawing until the contractor and project architect are satisfied. Contractors should bear in mind, though, that SOPREMA is a technical service, not a design service.
Regularly in Contact With Industry-Leading Associations
In addition to consulting with the BBA and Kiwa and having our products qualified and tested by said leading construction certification bodies, we attend regular meetings with technical bodies such as:
- NFRC (National Federation of Roofing Contractors)
- LRWA (Liquid Roofing & Waterproofing Association)
- SPRA (Single Ply Roofing Association)
- GRO (Green Roof Association)
- BTA (Bitumen Trade Association)
- SEA (Sustainable Energy Association)
- ASBP (Alliance for Sustainable Building Products)
- STA (Structural Timber Association)
- TGR (The Green Register)
- WKW (Wood Knowledge Wales)
- EEIG (Energy Efficiency Infrastructure Group)
We are in daily contact with architects, surveyors, engineers, contractors and main contractors, too, showing our dedicated involvement in every stage of a project.
More Than a Roofing Company
Offering a vast amount of products, SOPREMA can act as your supplier and advisor – not only as a waterproofing company, but for the entire building envelope. We are also unique in the sense that we manufacture our products ourselves and can provide a single point of warranty and contact. We can, for instance, include ALSAN and bituminous systems on the same project under the same warranty, which ensures any client partnering with SOPREMA has complete peace of mind.