Fast facts about this global shingle manufacturer

By IKO. 

Learn seven things you might not have known about the industry-leader IKO.  

We began our journey here at IKO Industries to being a global leader in shingle manufacturing all the way back in the 1951. From there, the rest was history. We are now a leading manufacturer that ships products to over 90 countries around the world and run an incredible program called ROOFPRO that connects contractors to valuable resources such as rebates, rewards, discounts, preferred rates and professional trainings. But even the biggest IKO shingle fan might not know everything about the company. From the pronunciation of our name (“Is it EYE-CO or I-K-O?”) to our founding location, learn seven fast facts about IKO’s history!  

1 - Is it EYE-CO or I-K-O? 

The short answer is, it’s “EYE-CO.” And although it does stand for something — the name of our founder, Isidore KOschitzky — it’s not pronounced as a series of letters. (But don’t worry, we’ll still sell you roofing products even if you pronounce it the wrong way.) 

IKO was founded in 1951 when Isidore and his family emigrated from Poland, where they faced post-World War II antisemitism, to Canada. After a short endeavor with a partner in Kola Roofing, Mr. Koschitzky separated from his business partner and — as the story goes — swore to never have another partner other than his wife, Golda. When he started the second business, he dropped the “la” from “Kola,” and added his initial “I.” As such, the company which bears his name, was born. 

2 - Our story started in Western Canada and grew worldwide. 

IKO was founded in 1951, in Calgary, Alberta. We first manufactured building paper and then expanded to include coated roll roofing. Our first asphalt shingle was made in 1954, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

IKO thrived and then grew, first expanding to eastern Canada with the opening of our Brampton, Ontario, shingle plant in 1959. Success in Brampton led to further expansion 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. 

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 Hillsboro, Texas. Two more are currently scheduled to open this year in Hagerstown, Maryland, and in Brampton, Ontario, on the very same site that our second plant was constructed more than 60 years ago. 

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; we collaborate between locations 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, 70 years after its founding, IKO has grown to be among the world’s largest exporters of asphalt shingles. 

3 - In 1956, IKO was almost lost to an unfortunate accident. 

Just five years old, IKO suffered a setback that many other companies wouldn’t have been able to overcome. On a November Sunday morning, an electrical heater in Isidore’s first plant, located in Calgary, caught fire. By the time the fire department arrived, nothing could be done. Paper inventory was destroyed, shingle inventories were fused together like bricks and structural beams ended up twisted together like spaghetti. And what’s worse, Isidore’s insurance policy only covered about half of the damages. But, his entrepreneurial spirit wouldn’t let him give up. So, he rebuilt. 

Within six months, IKO was back up and running, and just a few short years later saw enough growth to expand into Brampton, Ontario, where we still maintain a plant today to service eastern Canada. 

4 - We’re still a family owned and operated business. 

Like many of you, IKO is a small business at heart. Our legacy began as a “mom-and-pop” company many years ago, and to this day, we are run by several generations of the Koschitzky family. As such, we live by the same small business values that many of you also value. We have a humble desire to do right by our customers and take great pride in seeing them succeed. Our owners have personal relationships with many of our customers and distributors, and are actively involved in the day-to-day operations of IKO business. We understand the importance of maintaining individual relationships in a large business environment and backing those relationships with products and services that speak for themselves. 

5 - We make “it all.” 

IKO’s self-reliance on supplying most of its own materials means we are able to control our 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. 
• An IKO-owned plant in Barrie, Ontario, extrudes and prints the plastic wrappers that protect 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 makes its own backsurfacing at a variety of locations across North America. 

6 - We live and breathe our core values. 

At IKO, our corporate philosophy, vision and values are universal, embraced by all members of our global family. We believe that: 

• Sharing knowledge helps us find ways to improve our business for the benefit of all. 
• Integrity defines how we do what we say. 
• Long-term thinking frames our decision-making to help secure a brighter future. 
• Performance ensures that we will never stop trying to improve ourselves. 
• Humility creates honest, open and respectful relationships among all. 
• Agility, combined with knowledge, helps us deliver sound decisions quickly. 

These values are the leading principles of our company — inspired by the life and mentality of Isidore Koschitzky, and embraced by subsequent Koschitzky generations and employees alike. Isidore’s sons, Henry and Saul, who are still involved in IKO today, describe the company’s core values as “essential,” “self-serving” and “practical,” stating that they are the only way for a company to grow, survive and be successful in business. 

7 - IKO by the numbers. 

Did you know? Here’s a quick glance at IKO, by the numbers: 

• IKO will celebrate its 70th birthday this year. 
• We work with 4,000 employees worldwide. 
• We operate 35 plants in 6 countries. 
• We sell to customers in 94 countries on 6 continents. 
• We partner with ROOFPRO members in 2 countries and 52 states/provinces. 

Want to know more about the makers of your favorite shingles? Check out our full history and more, here. 

Original article and image source: IKO Industries