By: Kevin Blaesser, Director of Sales Operations
As many of you know and are experiencing firsthand, polyiso (ISO) insulation products are subject to unheard-of lead times. The source of these extended lead times started with a shortage of key chemicals needed to manufacture the product, namely methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). From there, demand took over and created a backlog of orders that now stretch into early next year.
Knowing the current state of lead times, many contractors have begun ordering ISO well in advance so they can be prepared for future projects. There have been suspicions of “ghost orders” throughout the industry, where contractors place orders with multiple vendors to see who would be able to deliver first. Initially, many thought that there would be an influx of canceled orders when these ghost orders started getting fulfilled by one of the sources. Unfortunately, we have not seen much movement to the backlog from canceled orders as of yet.
In addition to all of these factors, there have also been unplanned plant closures for some ISO vendors, which further complicates the supply chain. One of the most impactful closures for Duro-Last and our customers has been the Hunter facility in Texas, which experienced a fire and has been forced to halt production since May.
Will we see improvements anytime soon? From the information that Duro-Last has been given, we expect to be navigating extended lead times on ISO products through 2022. It’s imperative that contractors continue to plan and order products well in advance to ensure delivery of ISO products within their timelines or use alternative products such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) or extruded polystyrene (XPS). Although these alternatives may present an additional cost and require additional products added to the assembly to meet certain requirements, many contractors are finding value in making these adjustments to stay on top of their growing project timelines. As always, the insulation team at Duro-Last is here to help guide you through these options and find a solution that works best for your needs.
We continue to encourage contractors to order now for their upcoming spring 2022 projects to ensure the product is available. Additionally, make it a habit to check the “Product Pricing and Availability” page of the Duro-Last Contractor Portal to stay on top of current lead times as you are planning for the coming season.
We understand this has been a challenging roofing season for everyone and are doing everything to minimize the impact. Everyone at Duro-Last is committed to timely communication and always available to answer your questions and find solutions.
