South African leader in roof truss technology, LCP Roofing will mark 6 years of successful business in the local timber roof truss sector in May this year. With solid foundations, world class machinery and a talented, dedicated staff complement, the only way is up.Established in 2010 with the vision of becoming the preferred roofing company in Gauteng, LCP Roofing offers its clients a complete range of roofing related services from truss design and manufacture to custom-made plates for decorative exposed trusses. Comments Lyndsay Cotton, LCP Roofing General Manager, “Our vision, which remains today, is underpinned by our core values, which include making a significant difference through owner involvement in the day-to-day running of the business, as well as our dedication to and promotion of correct building practices.”

Over the past 6 years, LCP Roofing management have made great strides in growing the business and have done so through a number of strategic decisions. “Obtaining our South African Technical Auditing Services (SATAS) SANS1900 accreditation, which comes with rigorous and ongoing quality inspections, permits us to apply the mark to our products, giving our customers the peace of mind that the products they buy from us have undergone strict quality control measures and are fabricated to the standards set out in SANS1900,” remarks Cotton. “We also use design software from International Truss Systems (ITS), who are ISO 9001 accredited.”

Business automation

Business automation has played a significant role in enhancing the operational functions of LCP Roofing. “With over 80 staff in various roles, we’ve employed the use of industry-leading accounting and human resource management systems, which have streamlined these processes tremendously, and we’ve also combined a number of operational programmes into a single platform, which we have called, ‘Our LCP’. ‘Our LCP’ is a combination of processes, made up of industry leading server-, cloud- and mobile-based applications, that helps manage all the platforms, including site measurements, site reports, delivery reports, quality control reports and client confirmation documents. We additionally use mobile form submission applications to monitor fuel usage and vehicle inspections,” says Cotton.

“FlowCentric, which is a business process and flow automation system, helps us to keep tabs on everything from client file management, representative commissions, document and drawing control, payment requests, and quote and design documents. Device Magic is a mobile forms application which is used to send information from the field to our processes. We also make use of Qlikview to report on all facets of the business as well as DataTim, which is a transport management system.”

With a relatively small sized factory, LCP Roofing management undertook to optimise output through automation of both the factory set-up and its delivery vehicles. Andri Pretorius, LCP Roofing Operational Director, explains, “Our factory boasts two Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) saws, the first of which we obtained in 2010 when there were very few in the country. The accuracy of the cut produced by these saws is unrivalled and their throughput is phenomenal. In addition, we have two AV Birch presses, which optimise both the production speed and quality of our trusses.”

Transport optimisation

Transportation is an essential consideration in the line of roof truss fabrication, both with regards to getting raw materials to the factory and delivering the final product to site. “In addition to our tri-axle and superlink trucks for transporting roof sheeting, we have a 14.5 metre long custom-designed truss trailer, which has made it possible for us to legally transport any size truss anywhere in the country,” says Cotton, adding, “Our two large-capacity tile transport trucks with large cranes and specially designed tile grabs make it easy to transport an entire medium to large residential house in a single delivery. We also put our own transport systems to use in collecting raw timber for processing.” 

Human resources

LCP Roofing is supported by an energetic and dynamic staff complement, many of whom have been with the company since its inception and early stages. “We experienced a few hiring challenges in the beginning, from which we learned a great deal; our approach to recruitment has since changed and we now go through a rigorous hiring process. That said, we employed some gems at the start and they are still with us today. Over the years we have created a young, highly skilled and competent team of which we are justly proud,” says Cotton. “Training, although I prefer to call it ‘personal growth’, is a top priority for us and our team know that their knowledge and skills base will continue to grow under the management of LCP Roofing.”

Cotton holds a Bachelors Degree in Quantity Surveying from the University of Pretoria and a Diploma in Project Management. Coupled with Pretorius’ innate flair and talent for production and logistics management, LCP Roofing management are well matched to drive the company forward.

“I don’t know anyone else with Andri’s intense, almost intuitive, skills. This has definitely ensured that our planning is always at an advanced stage and that we are well prepared for market trends and changes,” remarks Cotton. “When it comes to success, we are all driven by passion, which is put into practice through hard work.”

To the future
LCP Roofing is ideally positioned technically, structurally and geographically to service the residential and commercial construction sectors in Gauteng and further afield. However, in the long-term, there are new market opportunities to be explored. “The South African construction market still relies heavily on brick and mortar, but alternative building systems, even with some market resistance and a shortage of technical skills, are slowly but surely making their way into the mainstream arena. Timber framing and modular systems make a lot of sense from a quality, speed and ease of delivery perspective, and investment into these types of construction methods will create additional revenue streams, boost skills development and promote economic growth – not only for LCP Roofing, but for the construction sector as a whole,” says Cotton.

“With that, the future looks bright and we’re tremendously proud of all we have achieved to date. While we’ve reached this milestone, in part, through tactical business decisions to automate certain processes and optimise workflow, it is our staff, our loyal customers and our industry peers who underpin our success – and to whom we extend our sincere gratitude,” he concludes.