Continuing a Centuries-Long Tradition of Innovative Construction Materials w/ CertainTeed/Saint Gobain [podcast transcript]

Welcome everyone. My name is John McMullen and I'm the marketing director here at MBI. Today, I'm talking with Brent Belanger and John Harding of CertainTeed/Saint Gobain. Brent and John are here to discuss the benefits of CertainTeed’s products and share details about several of their new products.

Brent and John, welcome.

Brent Belanger

John. Thank you.

John Harding

Hey, John.

John McMullen 

Tell me about yourself, Brent. What's your background? And how did you end up with CertainTeed?

Brent Belanger

Thank you for the question in this opportunity. First of all, John, I'm Brent Belanger, the Senior Technical Solutions Manager with CertainTeed Canada. I've actually been in the industry, the construction industry, working for several manufacturers across Canada for the past 35 plus years, 16 of which have been with CertainTeed. And I've had a number of roles with CertainTeed. I’m currently on the Senior Technical Solutions Manager and part of that scope model, part of my scope of duties rather, is overseeing our off site presence in Canada.

John McMullen 

Very good. And John, tell me about yourself, what's your background?

John Harding

Great, great. So, I'm the business lead for offsite construction in the US. And kind of a different background than Brent. I've been in the building and construction industry for roughly 15 years, different systems and manufacturing software and in different types of roles, strategy, marketing, business development. I've been with CertainTeed/Saint Gobain for roughly two and a half years, part of the CertainTeed platforms team, which supports the CertainTeed businesses based out of outside of Boston.

So, one of the things we really focus on is, you know, the solutions we can offer the offsite segment and modular now and further, what kind of problems are there and the offsite segment that we can really dig into and understand and help develop solutions to?

John McMullen 

Very good. It sounds like you guys combined have a ton of experience. That's awesome.

Brent, I was wondering if you could tell me more about CertainTeed itself. What kind of products do you guys provide? And how do they benefit the modular and offsite industries?

Brent Belanger

Certainly, John. Well, let's start first by stating that CertainTeed is a part of the single band Corporation and Saint Gobain is a large global manufacturer of a variety of construction and building materials and high-performance products. And they've been around since the 60s, as in 1665. They have, yes, over 350 years of experience, in fact, interesting anecdote is that one of the very first projects that single band supplied was the hall of mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. So, we may have listeners who've been there and have looked at that glass work. That was a Saint Gobain project, one of the very first ones. But here in North America, we're our division is known as CertainTeed. We, we have a variety of product lines, including chips and finishing products, ceilings, products and suspension systems, insulation for thermal applications and acoustical applications, and also roofing, shingles, and siding and siding, trims as well and accessories. And certainly, we're getting involved with the photovoltaic side of it when it comes to roofing. So, a lot of interesting products and solutions that we've developed and introduced over the years.

John McMullen 

That's quite a range and quite a quite a history. That's, that's amazing. I'm not sure what to say to that!

So, John, I know that you guys will be at MBI’s World of Modular this year, and that this is your first time exhibiting is that right?

John Harding

Yes.

John McMullen 

So, what made you decide to come this year?

John Harding

Hey, you know, we're still looking at it from a crawl, walk run process. And, you know, we're still kind of crawling walking a little bit and learning this industry and making sure we're asking the right questions. So, in 2020, I actually missed the event when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. I was actually scheduled to attend, but I did not attend.

John McMullen 

We barely made it out of that one!

John Harding

Exactly right. So, I did go to the virtual one the year after, so last year, but it wasn't an exhibit, it was mainly as an attendee, I learned a heck of a lot did a lot of great networking. And, you know, Brent and I were talking and trying to develop our plan for this year. And, you know, we'll be there representing certainties Autobahn this year. I think a couple of things, you know, number one, we want to share the solutions with the industry, we've got a lot of interesting products and systems that factories can, you know, become more efficient, become save time, etc, in the manufacturing process that we want to share with them. But also the educational opportunities, a lot of great educational classes that are happening. And the networking is really something we're really excited about as well.

John McMullen 

That's great. 2020 was my first World of Modular. I'm really looking forward to this one. The networking is just awesome. I think you'll come away very pleased.

But you mentioned new products are there are there specific products that you’re bringing to World of Modular that you can tell me a little bit about?

John Harding

Sure. I'll address a couple of them here, John. The first one is something called STONEfacade. It's a great system for low-rise commercial building applications, but also on the residential side. Think of a panelized stone facade. We've got a new plant in Quakerstown, Pennsylvania, that opened up recently, and they're shipping product now, basically, from the east of the Mississippi to north of Virginia.

So, it's a panelized stone facade system, it has an integrated rain screen, no mortars needed, it's easy to install. And then the aesthetics are great. They look fabulous. A lot of factories have shown interest. And again, we're just trying to get the word out and explain to them some of the benefits of, of that product.

The other one I'll touch on is a system called NO COAT PRO. And it's, you know, ready to install corners with joint compound cut to any length. It's one of the pain points in the industry in terms of the cycle time and the drywall process of the mudding taping, drying, etc.

So, probably five months ago…Just a real quick little story about five months ago: We did a demo at Factory_OS, and the demo went so great, they said, “Hey, let us hold on to that unit” so they can continue using it in their factory and until they actually place their orders. And again, it's about improving the efficiency and saving time in their factory and again, we've had a lot of conversations with different factories, many others have purchased the system and again, it's about improving efficiency. So, those are two unique products.

John McMullen 

Well, if you don't mind a quick question. I'm not very familiar I'll be honest about either type of products. So, the façade—of course I know what that is—but is this a factory-installed facade, or is that something that's done onsite?

John Harding

So, we're positioning as both on the onsite absolutely use it. But we're doing there's a few trials that are happening right now and those are done in-factory and you know, you don't need a mason and you don't need to wait for someone to come in to actually do it. You can have your guy get trained up pretty quickly. And that person could be the, you know, the stone facade person in the factory. So yeah, it's very flexible in that sense.

John McMullen 

And the NO COAT PRO would be the same thing: factory and onsite? Or is that more geared towards one or the other?

John Harding

It is a both onsite and offsite. And what I've seen in the factory is they're using it…It was interesting to watch the Factory_OS team use it. So, it the actual corners are mudded, the tape has already muddied then they program in the length of where the call on the corners should be. So, they grab it off the roller and they start throwing it up on those corners. And it happens real quick. So, they see a lot of benefit and using that type of product again to improve efficiency.

John McMullen 

Very, very cool. Are there other products Brent that maybe you could tell me about?

Brent Belanger

Yes, John. First one I'll tell you about is our GlasRoc products. This is a weather-resistant gypsum sheeting and it uses glass mat technology. Traditional gypsum sheeting really doesn't stand up well to the exposure to the elements, for instance. And this is a product that has a one-year warranty. So, if in fact is left exposed through whatever conditions—be its slope, snow, sleet, rain, high heat, etc—it’s going to be able to withstand all those elements. It's a technology that's been around for quite a while we are we are producing it in a number of our facilities across North America, though. So, it helps in terms of logistics, especially when we're talking about modular Ross like construction.

The fact that it has a one-year exposure warranty is ideal if there are delays for whatever reason with projects. And current market is a very good example that there are a lot of shortages occurring right now in labor materials or just logistical issues. So, so it's something that I think, to go back to John's point about pain points and solutions, it answers that solution that we have for logistics, for example. And this is a technology that can be used for not only sheathing, you know, we have tile backer as well. And there are other applications that can be used for as well. Yeah, very ideal product for offsite. And we do a lot with panelized manufacturers right now.

And the other product, I'd like to mention this MemBrain. So, this is a smart vapor retarder. And the reason this product is becoming so important is because of the way building codes and construction methods are changing, especially in the northern part in the Central States. In the US, and also across Canada, we have energy codes that are becoming more demanding requiring higher R-values and thermal values in the walls. So that's incorporating things like insulated sheathings, which are not…some of them may not be very permeable. So, that makes readability of your walls a little more challenging.

And also we're having building codes that are demanding more air tightness. Once again, your buildings are becoming tighter. And we're seeing passive designs and netzero energy types of designs going out. So, they're ideal, they're great, especially with the environmental solutions we're trying to look for in the industry. But with traditional vapor retarders, they're ideal when it's cold when you're in near those heating conditions. However, in the summer months, your vapor drive is very different, you have warm air on the outside, and it's humid, and that's being driven into your wall. And if you have a vapor retarder on the inside of your wall that's impermeable—which most of them are, obviously—that increases the risk of moisture accumulating in your wall cavity. And that can affect thermal performance of your insulation in the cavity. If it's extreme enough, you have a situation where that moisture can accumulate and lead to things like rot, and mold, and perhaps rust if you're dealing with a metal structure.

So, the MemBrain is a smart vapor retarder. Because once that humidity level gets too high in the cavity, just by the nature of it—it’s a polymer in a nylon knit—it opens up, and it becomes semi permeable, and it allows that moisture to dissipate and migrate through the wall. So, it's peace of mind for not only the owner, but for the occupants as well build structures,

John McMullen 

These sound like fantastic products. Are all of these going to be available in your booth to either look at or hear about come World of Modular?

Brent Belanger

Absolutely. But go ahead.

John Harding

Yeah, no, I was gonna say we definitely will have some STONEfacade there. John, we've got a great video of NO COAT PRO. We'll have some great brochures and literature when it comes to MemBrain and GlasRoc as well. So yeah.

John McMullen 

Excellent! Well, stock up, I could see the interest level being high. It's gonna be a busy show. So what's on what's on the horizon for CertainTeed? Is there anything exciting in development that you can tell me about?

John Harding

Yeah.

John McMullen 

So, what's on what's on the horizon for CertainTeed? Is there anything exciting in development that you can tell me about?

Brent Belanger

Well, I mean, we are a very innovative company. We have an R&D center—several R&D centers—across North America, and certainly even more across the globe. And innovation has always been one of our backbones. In fact, one in five products that we've introduced did not exist five years ago. So yeah, we're definitely on the on the trail of innovating and providing new solutions for customers.

So, our hope here is to really listen to customers that come by our booth, see what they're looking for in terms of solutions and hopefully trying to tailor our product lines to meet their needs.

John McMullen 

Excellent, excellent. That's the questions I have. Is there anything you wish to leave our listeners with? Something that they can look forward to seeing or hearing at World of Modular that you haven't already talked about?

John Harding

I think it's just a matter of having conversations and learning from them on hopefully they can they can take away a few ideas from us in terms of some solutions. And that may help them in their challenges, John.

Brent Belanger

Yeah. And if I can just say, John, I mean, we have a lot of products and solutions. We won't have them all there. But certainly, they can certainly check out our website, certainteed.com, and be ready to ask any questions. We'll be there ready to answer them.

John McMullen 

Very good. Very good. Well, thank you, John. Thank you, Brett. I really appreciate your time today. I look forward to meeting both of you at the end of April at the World of modular in San Antonio.

John Harding

Excellent. We'll see you there, John.

Brent Belanger

My pleasure. Thank you, John.

John McMullen 

My name is John McMullen. And this has been another episode of Inside modular, the Podcast of Commercial Modular Construction. Until next time.