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[January 2008]
New Extrusion Technology at Corobrik's Rietvlei Factory
Over the past year, process engineering and exciting technology enhancements have taken place at the Rietvlei Factory operated by Corobrik (Durban North, South Africa).
During September 2007, the Rietvlei factory capped its extensive technology improvements with the introduction of a new extrusion technology.
Dirk Meyer commented: “The two important matters driving change in our factories have been a requirement that industry (in general) should pursue innovations designed to achieve incremental reductions in energy consumption and hence lower greenhouse gas emissions, and secondly that we pursue product innovations that will give our customers even better products with concomitant productivity improvements”.
The new 10 core holed brick is said to afford Corobrik customers and the environment the following benefits:
• A lighter mass brick, that affords opportunity for increased bricklayer productivity. The National Productivity Institute established that a bricklayer can handle 2000kg of material a day. A bricklayer doing straight brickwork using bricks with an individual mass of 2.9kg would lay approximately 690 bricks in a day. A new 10 core process results in a reduction in brick mass of 300g, allowing an increase in productivity to 769 bricks per day.
• The lighter mass of the bricks also allows more bricks to be loaded onto transport vehicles, this in turn resulting in lower usage of diesel and hence lower greenhouse gas emission per 1,000 bricks delivered.
• Lower energy usage for drying and firing and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Dirk Meyer concluded: “This is one of those perfect cases where we have been able to combine the proven benefits of international best practice with reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission, which is hugely satisfying to Corobrik”.
ENDS