D&D Roof Insulations has been making waves in the industry for many years, and continues to reach for the stars…
D&D Roof Insulations, a well-known company specialising in roof insulation materials and thermal efficiency, burst onto the scene in 1999, originally as a distributor of Alucushion and Bubble foil products, as well as other foil laminate products.
“We primarily specialise in the supply of roof insulation materials. So, large-format steel roof structures with steel cladding, roof sheeting, side cladding, and so on – that’s our primary market and where we have been since inception.”
– Bryn Doherty
Originally the company also distributed Structaboard but when that organisation closed down, D&D moved on to bigger and better things.
“We then moved into assisting with the launch of other new products into the South African market. For example, with Isoboard and Lambdaboard, we were instrumental in establishing them both to the South African roof insulation market. In fact in both cases we were the first to supply their products specifically for over-purlin roof applications.”
– Bryn Doherty
D&D has supplied into the faced flexible fibre glass market, and in later years established its own brand – Starlite®, which has grown tremendously over the past 10 to 12 years to be one of the primary roof insulation products in South Africa.
“We also do a host of other glass fibre products which aren’t our Starlite® brand such as Aerolite, Spunbond, Energylite, Cavitybatt, Factorylite and Factoryboard among others. Recently we launched our own brand of polyester fibre ceiling insulation known as Starfibre™, which is fast becoming a good option for the housing and retro-fit ceiling market. We’re constantly trying to improve, develop and make things better, in all aspects of our business.”
– Bryn Doherty
Pretoria-based D&D constantly tries to improve, develop and make things better.
How it works D&D Roof Insulations is successful because the company has carved out a niche for itself. Rather than compete with the hundreds of other insulation manufacturers out there, D&D provides a service to manufacturers and specifiers alike.
“We have agreements with manufacturers of various insulation products – some completely exclusive, some not – but we’ve never been a manufacturer. We specialise in the national and export marketing and distribution of all commercially-available roof and ceiling insulation products in South Africa. Whereas you have manufacturers who specialise in manufacturing products. They might not have the marketing expertise, technical know-how and distribution infrastructure, to get their products out there. So, what we do is work on projects right from inception – we work with the architect to evaluate their needs, making sure that the correct product is specified at the start. Then we work together with the quantity surveyors, to make sure that the product is specified correctly in the Bill of Quantities, to the point where we eventually price on the supply of the product to the roofing sub-contractors, of which 95% of them have accounts with us and deal with us on a daily basis. That is where our niche is, that is where our expertise is.”
– Bryn Doherty
He adds that D&D’s role in the industry is vital as a go-between for manufacturers, architects and quantity surveyors. Often the success of a project is let down by incorrect specification. Using the right product for the right application is vitally important.
“We have a very good relationship with our manufacturers and suppliers – because of the volumes we do, and because we work on a national basis. We’re a long-term company, very well-established in the market – we’ve grown with the market and we’ve grown with the standards in the market.”
– Bryn Doherty
D&D is a dedicated founder member of the Thermal Insulation Products and Systems Association of South Africa (TIPSASA), and is committed to helping that organisation, and others, perfect and bolster the standards that govern the industry.
“Years ago, there was a major issue with the fire performance of most roofing insulation products in South Africa with regard to inadequate legislation in the National Building Regulations. At that stage, to help the industry, we flew over to the UK and visited the British Standards Institution laboratories outside London, where we evaluated their facilities and brought a lot of that information back to South Africa, all at our own cost. We then worked closely with the CSIR’s fire laboratories and assisted in the construction of the first, large-scale SANS 428 fire testing facility in South Africa.”
– Bryn Doherty
Doherty explains that, not only is D&D committed to providing an excellent service to the industry, but the company is also committed to helping the industry improve, grow and create a sustainable energy efficient environment that promotes the fight against global warming, carbon footprints and establishing renewable energy sources.
“We constantly try to improve, develop and make things better, in all aspects of our business. So, large-format steel roof structures with steel cladding, roof sheeting, side cladding and so on – that’s our primary market and where we have been since inception.”
– Bryn Doherty
– All images courtesy of D&D Roof Insulation –
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