Uncertainty and opportunity: The state of the metal industry

By Emma Peterson. 

Industry insiders share their insights on the challenges facing the growing metal market and how to tackle them. 

In a new Read Listen Watch® (RLW), Karen Edwards sat down with Stephen Gosk, president and CEO of MetalForming, and Chad Rowe, business development director for MetalForming, to talk about metal roofing and the state of the construction industry. The pair highlighted the challenges many contractors and industry professionals are facing, and how they can make the most of the current market situation.  

Market uncertainty 

As a respected metal bending, cutting, roll forming and coil processing machinery distributor, MetalForming is at the forefront of helping their customer base of contractors and metal professionals address market changes. This gives Stephen and Chad a unique perspective on the state of the industry and has placed the need of helping ease customer struggles at the center of their focus. Stephen shared a bit about what he’s been hearing, saying, “I get to talk to a lot of customers in all different markets. In general, the word we’re hearing is uncertainty.”  

This uncertainty comes from a variety of sources, including but not limited to tariffs, labor shortages and exchange rate costs. Stephen shared, “The challenges aren't, in many of these cases, unique to the metals market by any stretch. Take labor for example. In general, it's getting harder to find skilled labor, whether that's on the roof or in the office.” 

Opportunity in metal 

But even with all of these challenges and uncertainty, the metal market is still looking very promising, if one knows where to look. Chad shared, “One of the things that surprises people is that we've had a handful of customers who started up a new business venture in the middle of all of this uncertainty. So that really goes shows the state of demand for metal.” This rise in interest in metal comes from both market recognition of its functional benefits and the development of new metal profiles, appealing features that are swaying many away from traditional materials.  

Chad elaborated, “There’s far more finishes and profiles available now than there were even just five years ago. If you want a wood grain, you can have wood grain. If you want camouflage and you want board and batten for your duck blind, you can get that. All in metal!” As for the functionality of metal, Stephen explained, “It's not only just the design, but also the materials that are available. We're starting to see metal roofing that is getting recognized for how it can sustain hurricanes or fires. You're starting to hear about insurance companies starting to get into the mix.”  

And the numbers back up what Stephen and Chad are talking about. Metal Roofing Alliance (MRA) President, Renee Ramey, recently wrote, “The MRA’s latest research indicates that [residential] metal roofing is anticipated to reach over 4.8 billion square feet in 2028, based on historical and forecast shipment square footage numbers. It also points to a 19% increase in growth for residential metal roofing from 2024 to 2028.”  

Listen to the full episode or Watch the recording of Karen’s conversation with Chad and Stephen to learn more about the metal roofing and construction industry.