Tilcor of New Zealand, part of the Ross Group, has made inroads into the Gulf market offering an aesthetic and functional stone-coated roof that also comes with a 50-year guarantee.

The company has manufacturing facilities in New Zealand and is now a global entity with distribution in Europe and the Americas and sales into many Middle East and African markets. The Ross Group that founded Tilcor is a third-generation roofing family that has been manufacturing roofing for more than 70 years.

Tilcor highlights it makes tiles using the purest and best raw materials from around New Zealand starting with one of the purest forms of steel in the world – Zincalume from NZ Steel – and then adding protective natural stone granules for long-term durability and stability of colour retention.

Matthew Day, sales manager of Tilcor’s Middle East and Africa operations, says Tilcor stone-coated tiles offer a lightweight roofing solution that will stand the test of time with the tiles weighing less than 6.5 kg per sq m. The Tilcor input reduces the overall weight of the building compared to traditional construction methods in the Gulf. “We back our high-quality roofing tiles with a 50-year manufacturer’s warranty,” he adds.

Day says the company has penetrated 15 new markets in the last few years and is building a strong name in the quality roofing market. “We have tripled turnover in three years and export is 65 per cent of our business,” he points out. Tilcor has offices in Dubai and Europe and while Saudi Arabia was once one of its largest markets it could again recover that status with its population rising and housing needs consequently growing. Sales in the Gulf have been rising over the past three years with supplies going directly to projects and construction companies. The company is looking for distributors who can take Tilcor to market in their local areas and is targeting building products specialists who will add the Tilcor lightweight stone-coated tiles to their portfolio. The company is selling to project developers of large developments  and would like to offer solutions to house owners too.

“Saudi Arabia is our largest market in the Gulf region to date and will continue to grow strong. We also have good interest and adoption in the UAE and Qatar. Africa is our strongest region that is taken care of from Tilcor’s UAE office,” says Day.

The company has done well with its Tudor profile which is a traditional-looking roof tile similar to a classical European-looking roof. House owners in the Gulf appreciate the traditional European look when they opt for a pitched roof. It becomes a feature amongst so many flat roofs in the area, providing a real point of difference.

The challenge for Tilcor is that 99 per cent of roof construction in the Gulf is with flat concrete roofs. The company is educating the market that a much more aesthetically appealing and functional roof can be achieved by installing a stone-coated Tilcor roof.

The company has four new profiles available for delivery in the Gulf. They are the Roman, Bond, Classic and Shingle tiles and all have a distinct appearance. The new products offer clients and developers more choice of look on their buildings and increased visual aesthetics.