Danosa Caribbean Inc.

For when the weather gets tough

Business View Caribbean profiles Danosa Caribbean Inc., a manufacturer of rolled-roof membranes and roofing products, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Having a roof over one’s head is vital. The need for shelter is a definitive one, and a sturdy roof has always been the symbol of humanity’s reliance on this essential element of survival. A strong roof provides safety from the elements – and if it does not, if it allows the rain to leak through, it is not doing the job it is meant to do, nor living up to the expectations of the human beings below it. Making sure that roofs do their job is the mission of Danosa Caribbean, Inc. of Puerto Rico.

Danosa is a world-class manufacturer of SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) and APP (atactic-polypropylene) roll waterproofing membranes. All of Danosa’s products are manufactured in the company’s 50,000 square foot facility in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and then distributed to residential, institutional, and commercial buildings throughout the island and beyond. Made from various materials such as asphalt, bitumen, fiberglass, polyester, polyethylene, aluminum, ceramic, silica, and the aforementioned synthetic rubbers, rolled roofing provides the water-tightness that every roof requires.

The company began its operations in 1978, as a subsidiary of Danosa Spain, which saw the island of Puerto Rico as the most logical place to expand its corporate reach into the western hemisphere. Up until that time, rolled roofing was strictly a European technology; today, it is an industry standard, everywhere. “Everybody that has a roof, whether it’s a house, or an institutional building like a hospital or a school, or a manufacturing plant, is a potential customer for us,” says Waleska Rivera, who worked for Danosa for many years before acquiring the company in 1994, and becoming its President.
Today, Danosa Caribbean has the capacity to manufacture over 164 million square feet of roofing membranes per year – that’s 1,642,500 rolls. Although the company has only 50 employees who work at its plant, office, and three warehouses, Danosa represents more than 2,000 indirect employees within its network of suppliers and clients. More than 70 percent of its raw materials are purchased locally, and all of its distributors and installers are independent roofing contractors who install its products.

Rivera maintains that there are no other plants like hers in the Caribbean. “That being said,” she demurs, “we do compete with everyone else that manufactures materials like ours, or similar to ours, that may come from Europe, or South America, or the United States.” Nonetheless, Danosa’s products represent more than 70 percent of the Puerto Rican market, largely because of the company’s commitment to quality, price, and maximizing client satisfaction. “We are a family-owned company but we work like a multi-national as far as productivity, efficiency, and service,” she says. “And if somebody needs service, it’s very easy to find us after being in the same place since 1978.”

In addition, Danosa continues to stay abreast of the industry’s technological advancements and, over the years, its products have evolved to meet the changing needs of the marketplace. “We have new products that have been developed in the last four or five years, such as self-adhesive products, products for underlayment, products for green roofs, and products with a finish that are Energy Star-rated, as well as, expanding our waterproofing solutions for non-roofing applications, such as those required in infrastructure projects and below-grade applications. We are continually conducting studies and researching how to improve each product component, while designing new alternatives for a more resistant and longer lasting membrane. And we are always very environmentally conscious and have created our roofing systems to be eco-friendly and energy-saving.”

While Danosa does export its products to places such as Chile, the Dominican Republic, other Caribbean islands, and even the United States, Rivera says that increasing its export market is on the top of her agenda over the coming years. “We want to be well-known, well-accepted, well-used, and well-recognized out of our geographic region; out of what we always call ‘the hundred by thirty-five,’ which is what the island measures in miles,” she declares. “So, we’re actively participating in different trade fairs and missions in different countries to increase our market reach abroad. We have an export team, dedicated to make it happen.”

For more than 38 years, Danosa Caribbean has been delivering the highest-quality, pre-fabricated roofing solutions to architects, developers and builders, roofing contractors, and homeowners. And that’s a good thing. Because, when the weather gets tough, it’s important to know that the roof overhead is equally tough – so that it can do the job it was meant to do.

Check out this handpicked feature on Divico Distributors – 25 years on St. Maarten.

AT A GLANCE

WHO: Danosa Caribbean Inc.

WHAT: A manufacturer of rolled-roof membranes and roofing products

WHERE: San Juan, Puerto Rico

WEBSITE: www.danosapr.com

PREFERRED VENDORS