IKO Industries Ltd
IKO is a pioneer and leader in the global roofing and related products industry. The company was founded in 1951. It first manufactured building paper and then expanded to include coated roll roofing. Its first asphalt shingle was made in 1954, and the rest, as they say, is history. The company thrived and grew, first establishing itself in eastern Canada with the opening of the Brampton, Ontario, shingle plant in 1959. Success in Brampton led to further expansion, next into the European market with the construction of a shingle plant in Ham, Belgium, in 1972. Expansion continued in Canada, with the addition of a new facility in Hawkesbury, Ontario, in 1976.
Company details
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- Business Type:
- Manufacturer
- Industry Type:
- Solar Energy
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
About Us
IKO entered the U.S. marketplace in 1979 through various acquisitions and has since expanded its presence by building new plants across North America. The most recent plant to open was in Sylacauga, Alabama and another is currently under construction in Hillsboro, Texas.
In all of its plants, IKO implements a program of continuous improvement that includes updating equipment and refining systems and processes in order to maximize efficiency and productivity, reduce waste and enhance performance and safety.
IKO’s manufacturing facilities don’t operate in isolation; they collaborate to ensure their technologies are aligned in order to consistently deliver high-quality products no matter where they’re made - plant-to-plant, even batch-to-batch. Stringent quality controls are tightly monitored and enforced in every plant.
Today, more than 60 years after its founding, IKO has grown to be among the world’s largest exporters of asphalt shingles.
IKO is now a worldwide enterprise with more than 3,500 employees and more than 25 manufacturing plants in Canada, the United States, England, Belgium, Holland, France and Slovakia. The company ships roofing products to 96 countries around the globe.
Despite its tremendous growth, IKO has remained firmly rooted in its founder’s core values, entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to quality. The company maintains its fierce independence and adheres to its belief in the importance of controlling the raw materials used in its manufacturing processes, a practice known as “vertical integration.”
The company is also a leader in the commercial roofing, insulation and waterproofing businesses in both North America and Europe. IKO has production plants for industrial roofing membranes, liquid waterproofing products and polyisocyanurate (ISO/PIR) insulation on both sides of the Atlantic.
IKO further strives to provide the industry with world-class service and products. From backroom to boardroom, the company’s employees share IKO’s ideals of craftsmanship, attention to detail and exemplary service for its customers. Their unwavering commitment to excellence in all they do is the key pillar in the company’s success in today’s competitive marketplace.
From a humble beginning to a modern manufacturer with global reach, IKO has remained wholly dedicated to the foundational values of the business as envisioned by its founder.
That rare and precious combination of timeless values, forward thinking and cutting-edge technology will allow IKO to continue to lead the way for its industry now and in the future.
Worldwide Operations
IKO Industries continues to expand its presence in North America, Europe and abroad. Each new addition strictly adheres to the company’s founding principles and benefits from its practice of perpetual improvement.
IKO is fully committed to on-going investment in every facility to ensure that each one continues to operate at its maximum level of productivity in order to meet and exceed customer expectations.
North America
In Canada, IKO’s Corporate Headquarters is in Brampton, Ontario. There are currently 12 manufacturing plants and facilities supplying finished goods and raw materials.
In the United States, IKO’s Corporate Headquarters is in Wilmington, Delaware. There are currently eight manufacturing plants and raw material facilities with a new plant in Hillsboro, Texas under construction.
Europe
IKO’s Corporate Headquarters and Centre of Excellence are located in Antwerp, Belgium. There are 10 other manufacturing sites throughout Europe — in Belgium, England, France, Holland and Slovakia. There are sales branches throughout Europe servicing local customer needs.
Our Values
IKO is among the top vertically-integrated manufacturers in its industry, making almost every major component that goes into its roofing shingles and related roofing products.
IKO’s self-reliance on supplying most of its own materials means it is able to control its quality in a way very few competitors can match.
A plant in Clarksville, Tennessee, produces the wet chop glass fiber strands that another plant in Danville, Illinois, uses to manufacture fiberglass mats that are among the heaviest in the industry.
An IKO-owned plant in Barrie, Ontario, extrudes and prints the plastic wrappers that protect every plant’s finished shingles in transit.
IKO also oxidizes its own weathering asphalt; almost 200,000 tons of asphalt flux are stored at IKO plants. IKO quarries and crushes its own limestone, colors its own granules and make its own backsurfacing at a variety of locations across North America.