Ludowici Roof Tile

 

As many of you know, I’ve always believed Ludowici Roof Tile stands at the top of the roofing world — the gold standard in terra cotta, unmatched in quality, heritage, and performance. With the industry evolving and demand climbing, I wanted to share a clear, fact-driven update. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Rob Wehr, CEO of Ludowici Roof Tile, about several key aspects of their operations. Below is a concise snapshot of where Ludowici stands today, the challenges the industry is facing, and what the future looks like.

 

Production Times

Production lead times have remained extremely long for several years due to sustained heavy demand. Several factors continue to drive this volume:

• Strong interest in green, sustainable building materials
• Ludowici’s extensive and aesthetically appealing color palette
• A high volume of historical restoration work, where 80–120-year-old buildings seek identical replacement products
• Severe weather events — hurricanes, high winds, hail — damaging tile roofs and prompting owners to request exact-match replacements

Total Volume Shipped This Year

Ludowici is operating at 5–6 million pieces of terra cotta production annually across North America — a substantial output for a specialty product manufactured with such precision.

Expectations for Next Year

More of the same. There has been no meaningful slowdown in demand, and the company continues to work through a large backlog of orders.

Hot and Cold Regions

Business remains well distributed from the Rocky Mountain region eastward. While Ludowici does supply the West Coast and Hawaii, those markets represent a much smaller portion of total volume.

Cost Increases

Ludowici has implemented one price increase per year for the past several years. These adjustments are necessary given rising costs in labor, raw materials, natural gas, electricity, and ongoing capital improvements at the plant
 

 

New Equipment & Facility Upgrades

Several major investments were completed this year, including:

$2.1 Million Dry Storage Track Expansion

Finished earlier this year, this upgrade improves production flow and increases monthly capacity by 20,000–30,000 tiles. The added storage tracks reduce congestion, allow driers to be emptied more quickly, and support increased tile forming.

3D Scanning, 3D Printing & Robotic Extrusion Technology

These new technologies are transforming Ludowici’s ability to produce molds, patterns, and complex terra cotta pieces. What once required extensive time and manual labor can now be completed far more efficiently. The company continues to refine these processes and is already seeing significant gains in turnaround time and production capability.

Biggest Success of the Year

Ludowici processed over 1,600 made-to-order terra cotta projects, ranging in size from small specialty pieces to projects valued at $2.45 million.

Biggest Obstacles

The primary challenge continues to be meeting demand while operating in a 137-year-old facility. Even with major upgrades, keeping pace with today’s volume is a daily battle.

Industry Trends

Architects and designers continue to prioritize color-permanent, locally made, sustainable building materials — all qualities that align perfectly with terra cotta and with Ludowici’s product line specifically.
 

 

Response to Severe Weather Events

This year brought several major weather events — notably in the St. Louis region — and Ludowici has been actively responding to the surge in replacement demand. Lead times, manpower, and production capacity remain real challenges, even with new technology in place. There has been significant progress, but continued improvement is essential to keep pace with market needs.

Five-Year Outlook

Ludowici anticipates additional capital investment aimed at increasing capacity and reducing lead times. This includes improvements to production processes, further integration of advanced technology, and additional equipment upgrades.

Closing Thoughts

A sincere thank-you to Rob Wehr and the entire Ludowici team for providing this insightful look at the company’s current trajectory. We look forward to continued strong growth and to supporting what we believe are the finest roofing products in the world.

You can view Ludowici Roof Tile at www.ludowici.com