Celebrating 100 Years with Lysaght

To say that steel runs in the blood of Roof & Render SA Director, Ben Mann, is an understatement.

Ben is the fourth generation ‘Mann’ working in the family business which began in 1921, coincidentally, that’s also the first year in which Lysaght started manufacturing in Australia.

The company’s association with Lysaght is even longer through, with Ben’s great grandfather, Ernest Mann, using Lysaght Orb sheeting in his plumbing and roofing business, EW Mann & Son; that was when the material was still being shipped to Australia via steamer from England in the early 1900s.

While Roof & Render SA has used several suppliers over its many years in business, over more recent years, it’s again selected Lysaght as its steel products supplier of choice for a number of reasons.

“Reputation and support is very important and with a company like Lysaght, we know that they’ll stand behind their range and properly back it,” Ben said.

“With some other suppliers you have a number of companies contributing to the product, one may manufacture the steel, another might apply the paint process and a third distributes it – there’s less accountability there if a problem arises.

“Lysaght and BlueScope are the one company, they manufacture, roll form and distribute the product, so we know we’ll be properly supported.”

Ben said that like Lysaght, Roof & Render SA had a reputation for quality and standing behind its products and workmanship – it’s a key ingredient that’s led the operation to become the largest domestic roof replacement company in South Australia with over 20 employees.

“Our company has stood the test of time and we’re trusted by customers,” Ben said.

“We have reroofed the homes of grandparents, of their children and more recently of their grandchildren – there’s stability and continuity there that customers can trust. Like Lysaght, we know what it takes to operate a successful business in the long term.

“The guy that’s buying cheap imported sheets and going around doing installations might be gone tomorrow with little recourse for customers if something goes wrong.”

According to Ben, the traditional LYSAGHT® profiles are also the most popular with Roof & Render SA’s customers.

“CUSTOM ORB® is our most widely used profile; and CUSTOM ORB ACCENT® 21 is also popular for its deeper corrugation and greater spanning capacity,” he said.

“Increasingly, homeowners that have tiled rooves are also going for steel when it’s time to repair or update, in my opinion it’s a smart decision. Steel is more efficient, faster to install, there’s also less maintenance and it’s around the same price as a tiled roof to replace.

“We’re pleased to offer our customers Australian-made materials from Lysaght, we’re also proud South Australians, so given that Lysaght has roll forming operations in Gilman, that’s even better.”