According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America, both residential and commercial projects have seen increases in the costs of construction in 2024. But that’s not to say that rising construction costs are putting a damper on construction activity. In fact, construction activity is picking up speed! Forecasters are seeing a slow but steady upswing in planning activity as many owners and developers prepare for stronger market conditions in 2025. If you couple these market insights with the construction industry’s ongoing labor shortage, it’s clear that prioritizing cost and labor efficiencies on jobs has never been more important.
For general contractors and subcontractors, rollforming metal roof and wall panels on-site can be an efficient building solution for achieving both labor and cost savings. The benefits of leaning into this approach are particularly evident on residential and light commercial projects. In turn, contractors will not just keep their heads above water in 2025—but they can thrive and grow their company’s bottom line.
In a nutshell, on-site rollforming is a smart manufacturing process that is ideal for smaller-scale projects where large quantities of long-run panels aren’t necessarily needed. Having the ability to roll coils into the desired profile and then cut the panels to the exact length required for the specific section of the roof significantly reduces the amount of material waste on the jobsite. This in turn increases a project’s overall material cost efficiencies while prioritizing a more environmentally friendly operation.
Similarly,shipping metal to the jobsite in coils also allows for greater truck load optimization. This is because coil takes up less space on the truck than factory-formed panels, which allows loads to be limited by the truck’s weight capacity rather than available space. There is also less potential for damage to the product because panels that are roll-formed on site only need to get walked across the jobsite rather than shipped across the country. This further reduces the carbon footprint of the project.
Still, when it comes to optimizing labor and material costs for increased profitability and customer satisfaction, using metal roof and wall panels will not solve all the challenges contractors face on jobs. This approach comes with some inevitable challenges as well—from shipping logistics to quick turn replacement orders if any damage happens to the uninstalled material.
To mitigate these challenges, project teams can work with an industry-leading metal panel provider like Drexel Metals. A trusted partner can provide support and guidance throughout the entire process and help recommend the best panel manufacturing process for the project application to maximize efficiencies. This can keep a project on time and on budget, resulting in more possible jobs for contractors and more satisfied customers to safeguard your legacy of work.
