Following the NHBC’s recent announcement that it will no longer back Brazilian natural slate due to its lack of applicable British or European Standards, SIG Roofing Supplies – the leading supply chain experts of roofing materials in the UK and the largest distributor of natural slate in Europe – has embarked on a national awareness campaign to promote the numerous benefits of using quality A1T1S1 natural slate from a reputable source.
SIGA’s Slate Category Manager, Joe Bordas explains: “We applaud the NHBC’s recent decision, and feel there is no better time to educate architects and specifiers about the perils of gambling with NHBC cover and the growing risks of using inferior slate.
“In today’s cost-conscious world, it’s all too tempting to be hoodwinked by price when choosing natural slate instead of ‘best value’. For example, it can be a false economy to purchase a lesser-grade slate, as these can often be riddled with inconsistencies and imperfections that not only result in high wastage, but higher labour costs.
“Quality natural slate such as our own SIGA brand has long been popular with architects, specifiers and roofing contractors alike. As well as providing consistency of quality, longevity of supply, best value and choice and variety, it offers all important traceability, plus an enviable warranty.”
Joe continues: “Quality is at the forefront of everything we do, so we work closely with our producers to ensure that SIGA slate not only meets certain performance criteria, but also meets aesthetic requirements and budgets. In addition, we know from our extensive experience that no two projects are alike, so we ensure that every slate is carefully selected to match selected roofing requirements, as well as geographical area.”
To coincide with SIG’s awareness campaign, the company has unveiled a new and extended Guide to its SIGA natural slate collection. Providing comprehensive information on the SIGA ranges available, it also gives detailed advice on standards and markings, selection and wastage and design considerations, as well as fixings and headlap tables, batten and holing gauges, fixing, storage and sorting, and coverage. The company is also hosting a series of natural slate CPD seminars throughout the UK.
SIG currently sells over 13 million slates a year across the UK via its SIGA collection. Largely sourced direct from quarries located all over the world in major slate producing countries such as Spain, Wales, China and Canada, the SIGA range meets the key essential criteria of BS EN12326 test results and certification, CE labeling, consistency and security of supply, and consistency of quality.
The SIGA collection features four distinct ranges including Excellence, Specification, Commercial and Economy that are designed to meet the needs of a variety of roofing projects.
Selected from the most reputable quarries, the Excellence range offers an exceptional selection of superlative quality stone with very low wastage, together with extended warranties and long life expectancy. Meanwhile, the Specification range boasts a selection of high-quality, first-selection slates covering a broad range of colours and textures, whilst the Commercial range offers affordable slates of good quality that are ideal for the refurbishment and volume developer market. The Economy range is ideal for small patching jobs or low cost refurbishment work.
SIG Roofing Supplies is the largest provider of expertise, advice and related products to the roofing market. A fully-owned subsidiary of SIG plc – a FTSE250 organisation and UK’s largest specialist supplier of roofing and related materials for over 30 years – SIG Roofing Supplies continues to establish best practice across the whole roofing sector and is passionate about meeting building requirements better than any other supplier in the industry.
Roofshop 25 Sep, 2012