Masonry Magazine May 2007 Page. 28
TECHNOLOGY
Bringing robots into the manufacturing equation has redefined the way bricks are made. A company in Denver, for example, offers nearly 100 colors and manufactures bricks that have a distressed look. "As the years have gone by, the variation of offerings has increased," said Tony Fabrizio, vice president of engineering and quality for Robinson.
# Robots and Automation
Bringing robots into the manufacturing equation has redefined the way bricks are made. Robots physically move the bricks, put them in cars that take them to the kiln, then take the bricks off and stack them.
BRICK INDUSTRY HONORS
EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL
AND SAFETY PROGRAMS
The Brick Industry Association (BIA) honored outstanding programs in environmental stewardship, and employee health and safety at its annual banquet in Orlando on March 31.
BIA President and CEO Richard Jennison said: "Brick manufacturers and distributors are demonstrating that just as all-natural brick, itself-they're operating in a sustainable manner: safeguarding the health and well-being of the environment, their employees and society at large."
# Environmental Stewardship
Ft. Worth, Texas-based Acme Brick won for its "Perla Plant Recycling Initiative," in which un-fired brick waste is recycled and forms a new product. This translated into a 93-percent waste reduction, as well as a cut in mining and landfill costs. Also, the new product now accounts for 10 percent of total sales for its plant.
Nashville, Tenn-based Alley-Cassetty won for the "Reduced Truck Emissions" program that significantly cut vehicular emissions. This was done through regulating truck speeds; monitoring exhaust emissions; and recycling waste oil, anti-freeze, and hydraulic oil, leading to a 6-percent increase in fuel efficiency.
Roswell, Ga-based Boral Bricks won for its "Journey Toward Sustainability" program that implemented a new diagnostic tool to assess resource conservation successes. Conservation goals were set, the attainment of which impacts employees' performance bonus plans. Boral believes it has developed a transparent system for measuring greenhouse gas emissions, enabling Boral to participate in a future emissions trading system.
Wyomissing, Pa-based Glen-Gery Corporation won for its "Energy Reduction Program," in which heat from the mass of bricks exiting the kiln was re-circulated back to the Proctor driers. To achieve this, Glen-Gery redesigned the kiln's exit in order to supply all of the drier's energy needs, thus eliminating the need for supplemental burners. The result was annual cuts in both natural gas consumption by more than 7,780 million cubic feet, and CO emissions of more than 938,000 pounds.
Lawrenceville, Va-based Lawrenceville Brick used its "Scrubber Waste Recycling Program" to identify beneficial uses for the waste that accumulates in dry limestone absorbers (or "scrubbers"). Rather than send the waste to landfill, the company provides the waste, free of charge, to local farmers.