Last month, we asked the CPCA community: “What is your single biggest business challenge as a polyurea professional in 2025?” Over 290 members and newsletter subscribers responded. Here are the results and the community’s commentary on each challenge.
The Results
1. Finding and retaining trained crew (34%) — By far the most-cited challenge. The skilled trades shortage is hitting the polyurea sector hard, and the shortage of people who already know how to run proportioning equipment compounds the challenge. “I could have three more crews working if I had the people,” said one Calgary-based applicator. The CPCA’s apprenticeship initiatives and certification programs are directly aimed at this gap.
2. Equipment maintenance and downtime costs (21%) — With commercial proportioning equipment representing $80,000-$150,000+ in capital investment, equipment downtime is expensive in both direct repair costs and lost project revenue. Attendees at our recent Alberta Trade Day identified equipment maintenance clinics as the most valuable component of that event.
3. Educating clients on polyurea’s value vs. cheaper alternatives (19%) — Competing against low-bid cementitious or epoxy contractors remains a challenge, particularly in municipal procurement where price-based evaluation is common. See our bidding guide at How to Bid Polyurea Projects for strategies on winning value-based evaluations.
4. Raw material pricing and availability (14%) — MDI prices have fluctuated significantly over the past 24 months, making project cost forecasting challenging. Several members noted that supplier consolidation has reduced competitive options for some product types.
5. Regulatory compliance complexity (12%) — Health and safety regulations, TDG (Transportation of Dangerous Goods) for isocyanates, and provincial environmental requirements around secondary containment are increasingly demanding of contractors’ time and attention. The CPCA’s regulatory guide at Canadian Polyurea Regulations is a valuable starting point.
What We’re Doing About It
The CPCA is actively addressing these challenges through: the new apprenticeship partnership with SAIT (workforce), equipment maintenance clinics at regional chapter events (equipment), specification guidance and client education resources (client education), and our regulatory update program through the Polyurea Insider newsletter (compliance).
Watch for our next industry poll, coming later this month in the Polyurea Insider newsletter. Members can also share their views in the monthly member forum discussion.