IKO is a pioneer and leader in the global roofing and related products industry.

The company was founded in 1951. It first manufactured building paper and then expanded to include coated roll roofing. Its first asphalt shingle was made in 1954, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The company thrived and grew, first establishing itself in eastern Canada with the opening of the Brampton, Ontario, shingle plant in 1959. Success in Brampton led to further expansion, next into the European market with the construction of a shingle plant in Ham, Belgium, in 1972. Expansion continued in Canada, with the addition of a new facility in Hawkesbury, Ontario, in 1976.

IKO entered the U.S. marketplace in 1979 through various acquisitions and has since expanded its presence by building new plants across North America. The most recent plants to open were in Hillsboro, Texas and Hagerstown, Maryland.

In all of its plants, IKO implements a program of continuous improvement that includes updating equipment and refining systems and processes in order to maximize efficiency and productivity, reduce waste and enhance performance and safety.

IKO’s manufacturing facilities don’t operate in isolation; they collaborate to ensure their technologies are aligned in order to consistently deliver high-quality products no matter where they’re made - plant-to-plant, even batch-to-batch. Stringent quality controls are tightly monitored and enforced in every plant.

Today, more than 60 years after its founding, IKO has grown to be among the world’s largest exporters of asphalt shingles.

IKO is now a worldwide enterprise with more than 3,500 employees and more than 25 manufacturing plants in Canada, the United States, England, Belgium, Holland, France and Slovakia. The company ships roofing products to 96 countries around the globe.

Despite its tremendous growth, IKO has remained firmly rooted in its founder’s core values, entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to quality. The company maintains its fierce independence and adheres to its belief in the importance of controlling the raw materials used in its manufacturing processes, a practice known asvertical integration.