Firing the imagination with Wienerberger

21.04.2011

Students' factory visit is 'another brick in the wall'...

Young bricklayers are building up their industry knowledge after linking with the world's biggest brick maker. Students from Mid Cheshire College enjoyed a recent visit to Wienerberger's Denton works where they picked up some behind the scenes knowledge about how the humble brick is made, and even found a new way to recycle the factory's reject bricks !

The youngsters, age 16 to 19 and who are all taking their Level 2 bricklaying diploma, were given a factory tour from deputy works manager Alex Johnson and an insight into how the clay is formed, fired and finished to create a variety of bricks in different sizes, shapes and colours. They also witnessed Wienerberger's strict quality control assessment, where bricks that do not meet the required standard are crushed and used as hardcore, and a number of students asked if they could take some back to the workshop.

Course tutor Peter Hobart explained: "I think it's important for the students to have a wide understanding of their craft and was particularly keen they see the whole journey in terms of where bricks come from and how they are made. I hope this will help them to be able to advise their customers better in their future careers.

"The group really enjoyed the tour as it is quite a fascinating process, and were each given a slice of clay as a souvenir. When we got to quality control they saw the strict standards the factory employs and some of the students had the idea of asking if we could use the reject bricks back in the workshop to train with. We're delighted they said yes as it will allow the students to practice their trade with a wide range of quality bricks. Following the visit we're also going to incorporate information about the manufacturing process and recycling issues in our lessons."

Sustainability was high on the agenda as the group learned about how products at Denton are made with high recycled content and green energy, and have recently been awarded the BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing certification. Chris Harris, factory manager said: "As trainee bricklayers these students are the future of an industry which is adapting and innovating to providing customers with sustainable solutions, so we felt it was important to include both these aspects as part of their visit. We're pleased they enjoyed the trip and that we are able to help develop their experience and expertise, and contribute to their understanding of the brick making processes."

With 227 plants in 27 countries, Wienerberger is the world's largest brick manufacturer, Europe's second biggest roof tile maker and a market leader in clay pavers. Its UK headquarters is in Cheadle, Cheshire and the company has 15 UK manufacturing facilities across the country.
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Pictured: Students Daniel Kendrick, Mark Littler and Tommylee Stringer get to grips with Wienerberger's Denton bricks