Recent warming trends in the Arctic had started to impact the flat roofing systems of the facility. Freeze-thaw cycles in recent years caused frequent expansion and contraction in the roofing systems, which inevitably leads to leaks. Such movement in the past was strictly limited to the start and end of the winter season. Recently, the systems have been experiencing this strain into the winter months.
Chief Facilities Manager Jolly McJingles saw the obvious benefit in having Flynn’s trained roofers perform the inspection and the repair work, despite having a large workforce of carpenters and metal workers at his disposal.
“There’s only one of us with working-at-heights training,” says McJingles, with a twinkle in his eye, “and that’s the big man. But there’s only one of him, and look at the size of this place!”
Indeed, a staggering 4 million square feet of roof protects the facility’s operations from the elements. These vary from steep slope, shingled roofs on older classic structures to the more modern flat roofing systems on the main warehousing and manufacturing building.
THEY WENT STRAIGHT TO THEIR WORK
A Flynn crew arrived in the late spring to perform an inspection and audit of the roofing systems. Roofing crews from Flynn’s Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Denver branches returned in September – before the sun begins to dip below the horizon at the North Pole – to perform preventive maintenance work on potential problem areas.
This ability to access remote facilities has long been a hallmark of Flynn’s repair and replacement work. Last year, a Flynn crew from Calgary rode a gondola up into the Rocky Mountains to execute a total building envelope replacement on a chalet, and a crew from Flynn’s Phoenix branch hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon to perform a roof repair on a pump house.
Similarly, Flynn’s roofing crews are no strangers to working atop sensitive facilities, whether it be a Facebook data centre in Dallas or one of Boeing’s hangars in Seattle. The North Pole complex demands similar sensitivities.
ONE THING OFF HIS LIST
Calling on Flynn to perform inspections and preventive maintenance means there’s one less concern for McJingles and his famous boss.
“He’s got 75 million roofs to worry about” McJingles says. “Ours can’t be a distraction.”
McJingles adds that, while the month of December is undoubtedly the organization’s busiest, its manufacturing facility runs full-tilt all year round. Any disruption, either from roof leaks or intrusive repair crews, would be intolerable.
“Nothing stops Christmas from coming, of course” McJingles notes. “But any sort of roof failure here would be extremely damaging to our reputation, and so very disappointing to our little customers. But Flynn soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.”
McJingles is highly complimentary of Flynn’s roofing crews. “We know a bit about delivery and service, and Flynn does both well.” He adds that facility managers would do well to have Flynn attend to any roof concerns, such as snow and ice, damage from hooves, or any other typical winter-related issues.
