CertainTeed is a North American manufacturer of building materials for both commercial and residential construction and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain SA, based in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

History

The company was established in 1904 as the General Roofing Manufacturing Company by George M. Brown in

East St. Louis East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, with $25,000 in start-up capital. In 1917, the company restructured, incorporated, and changed its name to the Certain-teed Products Corporation. It began trading on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...

in 1918.

Operations

CertainTeed operates 65 manufacturing plants in the United States and Canada. Certainteed manufactures products for four industries : Roofing, Siding, Insulation, Gypsum and Ceilings. It exports building products to more than 50 countries. CertainTeed has held more than 350 patents on its products in the past 30 years. In 2015, CertainTeed was recognized as the top brand in Siding: insulated, Siding: Vinyl categories, Roofing: Clay/Concrete/Synthetic Tiles, and Roofing Photovoltaic categories.

Litigation

Historically, CertainTeed was a major manufacturer of asbestos-cement pipes for water utilities for many decades.

Asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

was mixed into the cement as a binder. CertainTeed phased out the use of asbestos in its products around 1990. As a result, CertainTeed is now a major defendant in product liability lawsuits brought by persons who worked on water utility projects and their families. On April 29, 2010, in a product liability case filed by a

mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The most common area affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining ...

patient whose husband used to cut CertainTeed pipe for a living, a

Los Angeles Superior Court The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The ...

jury returned a verdict of $8.8 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages against CertainTeed and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The allocation of fault was 70% to CertainTeed and 30% to LADWP. On July 21, 2010, the Court overturned this verdict, and specifically granted CertainTeed's post-trial motions, holding that the punitive damage award was unconstitutional, that the amount of punitive damages could not exceed the amount of compensatory damages, and that a new trial was required on all issues. The case is currently on appeal. A class action suit brought by representatives of the end users against CertainTeed Organic Shingles was approved on September 1, 2010. The complaint was that the shingles were subject to early failure or did not perform as expected by warranty. Some 30 years shingles only lasted 10 years. CertainTeed denies that the shingles were faulty, but quit manufacturing that particular type in 2005. The Court's role in the Settlement was to make sure there was a proper and fair settlement and did not decide in favor of either the Class or CertainTeed. A similar lawsuit is underway for similar complaints arising from CertainTeed Landmark, Independence, and Presidential fiberglass shingles. Throughout 2011 and 2012, many home owners that purchased CertainTeed Fiber Cement Siding (also called WeatherBoards Fiber Cement exterior siding) filed class action lawsuits against the manufacturer due to problems with shrinking, cracking and warping. On January 23, 2020 the successor to CertainTeed filed for bankruptcy protection for Certainteed's asbestos products in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of North Carolina in Charlotte.

References

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External links

Official site

CertainTeed Building Knowledge Blog

Saint-Gobain

Certainteed India

Certainteed Belarus

Premier Exteriors
Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange Building materials companies of the United States Manufacturing companies established in 1904 Manufacturing companies based in Pennsylvania Companies based in Chester County, Pennsylvania Saint-Gobain American subsidiaries of foreign companies