The Digital Shift in Roof Management: Embracing Technology and Automation.

When managing a commercial property, you have numerous responsibilities, including budgeting, compliance and operations. As you know, optimizing or automating certain tasks can significantly improve your workflow and reduce blind spots. But can these principles be applied to your facility's roof? Can you efficiently manage multiple roofs at the same time? The answer is yes. Technology and automation tools in commercial roofing can greatly reduce the time spent on roof management while ensuring that your buildings remain watertight and safe. Let’s explore some tools that can make your life a bit easier.

Snow monitoring systems: Automate your snow removal

Winter can be a challenging season for commercial roofs. The freeze and thaw cycles along with heavy snowfall put significant stress on your roof system. Additionally, winter weather can be unpredictable, bringing extreme conditions to areas that typically do not experience snowfall, such as parts of California in early 2023.

Excessive snow accumulation on your roof increases pressure on the roof assembly, exacerbates the impact of freeze and thaw cycles, creates conditions for ice dams, obstructs access to HVAC units and other roof projections and poses safety hazards if left unmanaged.

How can you monitor snow levels on your roof without constantly checking it manually, which can be time-consuming? The solution lies in snow monitoring systems. These solar-powered devices allow you to set a safe threshold for snow accumulation. Once that limit is exceeded, a sensor will send an alert to initiate snow removal. This alert can be sent directly to a local CentiMark roofing crew, who will be dispatched to your location to quickly and professionally remove the accumulated snow, adhering to stringent safety standards and industry best practices. Quick response times and seamless communication help eliminate unnecessary delays in snow removal.

Automated snow monitoring significantly reduces the stress of winter roof management. This technology removes the need for frequent roof checks and helps prevent costly repairs due to snow damage.

Drone inspections: Precision data and safety with minimal disruption

Onsite commercial roof inspections performed by an experienced roofing contractor are essential for monitoring the condition of your roof. However, in-person inspections come with certain challenges, including safety concerns and the time required for assessment. For large industrial buildings with multiple roof sections, thoroughly accessing everything manually can be time-consuming. To streamline this process, drones have been introduced into commercial roofing. The advantages of drone inspections include:

Time-saving:

Drone footage and thermal scans allow for a comprehensive assessment of your entire facility’s roof, conducted efficiently and methodically from a birds-eye view. This is particularly beneficial for large buildings with hard-to-access areas. Thermal scanning technology with drones enables the quick identification of wet insulation or areas of heat loss, reducing the time it takes for a roof assessment and providing the customer with photos and videos of their roof’s condition.

Safety:

Working at heights involves significant risks and requires proper training, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other safety measures. Using drones eliminates these risks and reduces the need for additional safety precautions. Some facilities may require extra resources to access certain parts of the roof due to potential hazards, such as needing lift equipment. Drone inspections help minimize these challenges by allowing your contractor to access and scan the roof regardless of access conditions.

Precise data:

Scanning the entire roof with a drone provides a clear and accurate picture of your roof's condition. With CentiMark's 3D Virtual Site Assessment, you will receive a comprehensive overview of your entire building envelope through thousands of high-definition images, offering a detailed and precise view of your facility. This provides an accurate view and thorough understanding of the condition of your commercial property.

Minimal disruption:

A drone pilot does not need to physically access your roof, which is beneficial if there are any restrictions regarding roof access. Utilizing drones minimizes the logistical challenges associated with gaining authorization for roof access.

CentiMark’s Digital Customer Experience (CMDCX): A digital hub for asset management

Managing a large commercial buiding often involves handling a variety of paperwork, including warranty documentation, repair records, maintenance logs, section replacement records, condition reports, contractor estimates and more. Keeping all your records organized can become challenging and overwhelming, especially when you are responsible for multiple locations.

To simplify and streamline this process, CentiMark has launched a new, comprehensive customer portal called CMDCX. This portal provides immediate access to all your roofing and flooring documentation, service reports and various notifications related to every roof and floor in your portfolio. With CMDCX, you can easily monitor the condition of all your roofs and floors from anywhere, at any time.

The world is changing rapidly and new tools are continuously being introduced to automate your daily tasks and optimize your workflow. Commercial roofing is no exception. As a property or maintenance management professional, you have various tools to help you manage your roof efficiently, eliminate guesswork, minimize roofing emergencies and reduce hours spent on tracking down the data you need. Contact us today to discuss snow monitoring and removal programs, drone inspections or CMDCX.