2022 Metal Construction Hall of Fame
Ken Buchinger spent his career observing, learning and changing the metal construction industry. Spending time out in the field and seeing problems others were having with metal roofing systems, gave him the ability to make changes for the betterment of the industry.
Buchinger spent the majority of his 40-year career at MBCI, part of NCI Building Systems, doing everything from product development, handling claims, developing warranties and training, and creating and managing the installation manuals and catalogs. He joined the company in 1988 after spending 13 years erecting buildings for Brown Erection Co., and starting his own company, Whitehouse Construction Co.
Product and Warranty Development
Buchinger started working in MBCI’s test lab with Dave Fulton (2012 Metal Construction Hall of Fame inductee) running many UL 580 tests. Working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) head engineer on testing of standing seam roof (SSR) systems, led to the creation of a test protocol that eventually morphed into ASTM E1592.
According to Buchinger, his crowning achievement is the idea of manufacturers being responsible for the warranties from the day of substantial completion. “Industry weathertightness warranties were not very good at the time and architects, though they knew the benefits of metal, were tired of leaky roofs,” he explains. “We developed a warranty that required installers to take an installation class for the SSR being installed and required a minimum of three inspections. Eventually other companies came out with similar warranties. This almost immediately changed the industry for the better.”
Buchinger was involved in the development of MBCI’s Double-Lok, SuperLok, BattenLok, and LokSeam standing seam roof panels as well as the Designer Series and MasterLine wall panels. When he realized there was no manual for the Double-Lok panels, he modified an existing UltraDek manual. This led to him writing every manual and catalog for MBCI.
Additionally, Buchinger has written numerous articles for various industry publications, as well as giving presentations for organizations, allowing him to share his vast industry experience and guide others on how to perform correct metal panel installations.
I encourage everyone in the industry to get involved with MCA, Metal Roofing Alliance, NRCA and the other associations within the metal industry. When I think about it, it is amazing how far we have come on the last 40 years. If everyone gets involved and brings their knowledge and experience, the industry will continue to grow and thrive.”
Trade Associations
Buchinger has been actively involved in several trade associations, including the Metal Construction Association (MCA) and the Metal Roofing Alliance (MRA). Buchinger served on the MCA board of directors from 2006-2014, was the roofing council chair from 2014-2017, and vice chair from 2018-2021.
Buchinger’s involvement with MCA reached far and wide, working with other MCA members on test assemblies at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to look at increasing energy efficiency of metal roofs by using above sheathing ventilation combined with other products such as reflective insulation, phase change materials and flexible thin film solar panels, as well as heading up the research on the spray foam project and building mock-ups for testing at MBCI’s test lab.
Buchinger also helped develop the MCA Metal Roof Installation Training Manual, as well as aided in the development of the NRCA/MCA ProCertification Program. “Ken’s fingerprints are all over MCA and the metal in buildings industry,” says Jeff Henry, executive director of the MCA. “He was a major contributor to the Roofing Installation Manual and Certification Programs, the NRCA ProCertification Program, numerous technical research initiatives and technical documents. Simply, Ken worked tirelessly and selflessly to improve the profession and the industry as a whole.”
“I encourage everyone in the industry to get involved with MCA, Metal Roofing Alliance, NRCA and the other associations within the metal industry,” Buchinger adds. “When I think about it, it is amazing how far we have come on the last 40 years. If everyone gets involved and brings their knowledge and experience, the industry will continue to grow and thrive.”
Bob Zabcik worked with Buchinger for nearly 20 years. “Kenny has an innate ability to bring together the theoretical and the practical, the abstract and the tangible; and he does it in a way that is direct and just simple enough without sacrificing any important detail. But most importantly, Kenny is always ready to lend a helping hand whenever you need him.”
