#AskCentiMark Series: Why quality roofing matters in food manufacturing facilities.

Buckle up and get ready to learn about mastering the art of roofing food manufacturing facilities! This episode of the #AskCentiMark series gives you some insight into how a properly installed and maintained roof is crucial for you, your business, your employees and the products you manufacture!

Our interviewees for this blog are Daryl Klinge, Global Account Manager and Taylor Gill, Senior Project Manager. Both of these individuals are ready to share their knowledge on roofing facilities that manufacture all types of food and food ingredients.

Q: How can the condition of a facility's roof affect food manufacturing operations?

Taylor: Your roof can make or break the daily operations that go on inside of your facility! A damaged commercial roof can cause loss of product and slowed production which could result in dollars down the drain, safety hazards, contamination and so much more! I would say that the condition of the roof on food manufacturing facilities is just as important as the products and operations inside. It is truly mandatory to maintain a good roof and ensure the utmost compliance of food manufacturing regulations in order for your business operations to run smoothly. 

Q: What are some interesting roofing challenges you have dealt with for food manufacturing environments and how did you overcome them? 

Daryl: One of our main concerns is making sure that microbes or bacteria are kept as far away from a food manufacturing facility as possible. The materials we use on a roof can help or hinder our job in making sure that a facility isn’t harboring these things. One challenge I remember was when we had a client who’s entire facility was made up of wood which means it can absorb moisture and harbor bacteria, mold or other contaminants. The FDA gave them notice that they had to remove and replace their roof to make sure their food was kept as safe as possible. We were able to do that in a timely manner while still allowing their business to run properly in the meantime. Being able to have a deeper understanding of their needs and the project at hand allowed us to prevent them from losing about 50,000 pounds of product due to contamination or waste. 

Q: How often should a food manufacturing facility's roof be inspected and what key issues do you look for during these inspections?

Daryl: The amount of inspections varies for each facility but most of our clients want to stay as proactive as possible by conducting routine inspections. Typically, I see my clients schedule commercial roof inspections with CentiMark twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. 

Taylor: I agree! Sometimes I see my clients checking on their roof on a monthly or quarterly basis, as well as after inclement weather hits their area which is best for prolonging the life of the building. In terms of what key issues we look for during our inspections, we’re basically going through a 50-point checklist to make sure we are catching any and all issues we might come across. We are checking flashings, drains, gutters and looking for any damage, penetrations or debris we can find.

Daryl: Exactly, during inspections on food manufacturing facilities we also thoroughly check their ammonia systems which control most of the chilling operations up on their roof. We need to keep a close eye on them because damaged ammonia systems can be detrimental for a business for two reasons. One, is that damaged ammonia within a food manufacturing facility will result in automatic shut downs which can cost a company thousands, if not millions of dollars. The second reason ammonia systems need to be monitored so closely is because they can release hazardous chemicals which cause explosions, loss of life and other factors.

Q: Buildings within the food and beverage industry have strict standards in order to make sure there is no contamination. What can you do for building owners to help give them peace of mind when partnering with CentiMark?

Taylor: With CentiMark, you are not tied to a specific roof system! We have the capabilities to come to your property, evaluate the current condition of your roof, get a deeper understanding of what is going on inside of it and tailor one of the many roof systems we can install to meet your specific needs. After this is done, we can put together a preventative maintenance plan to make sure there’s no contamination going forward in order to prolong the life of your roof. We do everything we can to give you peace of mind before, during and after the roofing process. 

Daryl: Those are my thoughts exactly! I always say that people do business with people they can trust. When clients continue to partner with us for years on end, it is because they are confident that we are going to do our best to protect their brand and their assets.

Q: What do you suggest as a seasoned commercial roofing veteran to maintain a consistent temperature and control humidity within the facility?

Daryl: My suggestion is to look at the building in its entirety, not just at the roof. There are endless factors to consider when trying to control humidity and temperatures within facilities like these. The ultimate threat we see for customers is thermal drive and thermal shock, both of these can lead to various moisture and contamination issues. Therefore, the customer should be able to tell us a bit about their air/humidity mitigation system in order for us to determine what steps need to be taken to combat certain humidity levels to maintain a consistent temperature within the building. 

Taylor: Exactly, being familiar with every aspect of your building can really make a difference. CentiMark can even partner with mechanical engineers to discuss air intake, exhaust fans and much more in regards to the equipment within the facility. 

Q: How do you ensure that CentiMark’s roofing solutions comply with food safety and health regulations?

Daryl: CentiMark puts forth a lot of time and energy in providing custom roofing solutions that comply with building codes and local/national regulations! Over the last 20 years, I have realized that ensuring our roofing solutions adhere to regulations can make a significant impact on the safety of the food and the health of the customers that are consuming it. We always make sure to take the insulation codes, local weather, vapor levels, chemical/grease resistance and more into consideration in order to come up with the safest roofing solution possible. 

Q: What best practices do you recommend for facility managers when planning a roofing project?

Taylor: My first suggestion is to book an in depth evaluation of your roof with a reliable roofing contractor, it can truly make or break a roofing project. Performing an underdeck inspection, thermal scan, core cut and more can really tell us more about the steps we need to take to make sure we’re getting the job done right. My second piece of advice is to take the timing of the roofing project into account. You will have various pieces of equipment in your facility such as cranes, forklifts, trailers and more which can create an interruption to your operations in your food manufacturing facility. I can confidently say CentiMark does an amazing job of making sure we cross each other's paths as little as possible while getting our projects done in a timely manner. 

About our panel:

Daryl Klinge

Global Account Manager

Daryl has been working closely with food manufacturing for over 20 years now! He knows how careful and strategic you have to be when roofing food manufacturing facilities and has the experience it takes to help his customers meet their end goal.

Taylor GIll

Senior Project Manager

Over the last 19 years, Taylor has had the opportunity to be involved in installing, replacing and repairing millions of square feet of food manufacturing roofs. He is deeply familiar with helping his clients prolong the life of their roofs.