Kemper System Celebrates 60 Years Building Envelope Solutions

Kemper System is celebrating 60 years of success and building on its strengths to address the entire Building Envelope.

“Kemper System was built on novel approaches to challenges, product quality and customer service, and those continue to be the bedrock of our relationships,” says Richard Doornink, president and managing director of Kemper System America Inc. “Our role is to help architects and other specifiers find the balance between often competing goals on projects across the Building Envelope. The right technology makes those choices easier,” he states.

Today, the company offers an expanded range of Building Envelope solutions to protect against weather, preserve the integrity of surfaces and enhance the comfort and value of public buildings and commercial real estate.

As part of the company’s expansion efforts, Kemper System America acquired STS Coatings Inc. in December along with four flagship brands, and is exploring additional technologies to build its portfolio, Doornink stated. In addition to the technologies from STS Coatings, this encompasses Kemperol reinforced membrane systems, and COLEAN durable coatings systems for protecting surfaces prone to heavy wear.

Technology Roots

Kemper System traces its roots to polymer chemist Heinz B. Kemper, Ph.D., who founded the original company in 1957 after developing a roofing system using a cold liquid-applied resin reinforced with polyester fleece. After conducting over 200 trials, in 1969 he patented Kemperol V210, a reinforced membrane system which proved to be effective, and could stand up to sun, rain, snow, ice and standing water longer term.

That led to further advances in cold, liquid-applied membranes including the company’s flagship solvent-free and odor-free Kemperol 2K PUR membrane system, launched in the U.S. in 1999, and more recently, Kemperol 022 reinforced waterproofing system for indoor tile, and fire-rated Cool Roof systems – the odor-free Kemperol Reflect 2K FR and fast-curing Kemperol AC Speed FR.

Today, Kemper System products protect surfaces under a range of climatic conditions spanning: new and existing roofs, white roofs, green roofs, blue roofs, interior and below-grade waterproofing, parking garages, balconies, terraces, plazas and historic restorations. In North America, Kemperol membrane systems protect projects including the Empire State Building in New York, CN Tower in Toronto and Marketplace Tower in Seattle.

Kemper System America Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kemper System GmbH & Co. (KG | Holländische Straße 32-36 | D-34246 Vellmar). Kemper System is part of the IBG Group of companies, a mid-sized industrial holding company with more than 50 sales and distribution sites, as well as production companies all over the world.