As part of the investment, we have upgraded the legacy technology in the facility.

This includes installing brand-new, state-of-the-art dryers, which now include screen-controlled moisture monitoring. This helps minimise surplus heat wastage, without compromising on the final quality or durability of the bricks.

Similar upgrades have been made to our factory’s setting machine. By installing a new system, which is largely automated, the setter can now process 10,000 bricks an hour – double the previous machine’s capabilities and requiring just one operator, helping to improve workflow and efficiency on site.

Further efficiency gains have been made via the introduction of an automated unpacking process, overseen by a team of three, which replaces the previous by-hand system, which was both time-consuming and labour-intensive.

The investment has also enabled a total refurbishment of the kiln cars and upgrades to the kiln itself, driving vast improvements in energy performance at the site. Upon completion of the investment, we expect gas consumption at the Aldridge site to be reduced by 25%, which equates to a total carbon reduction of 19%.

However, this investment has not only allowed us to make significant sustainability enhancements across the Staffordshire factory, but also drive real improvements to final product quality, too.

Our Aldridge site produces a broad and unique product range with rusticated finishes that can be seen widely in use on housing estates in the West Midlands and surrounding regions. This makes them an extremely popular choice with builders merchants as homeowners seek to match renovations and extensions with the brickwork of their existing properties. Aldridge products can now be found in some of the most eye-catching projects to feature Ibstock bricks, including the Olympic Park substation in Stratford.

Furthermore, Aldridge’s central location and excellent transport links ensures easy delivery nationwide. Indeed, the improved efficiencies at Aldridge, coupled with its Midlands location, has helped us further sharpen its offering to the merchant sector. Aldridge is now able to supply a mixed load to merchants, ideal for branches with limited storage space – enabling merchants to purchase a variety of products from Ibstock and have everything delivered in one drop. What’s more, Aldridge bricks are now delivered in a bigger pack configuration (500 bricks per unit), helping merchants improve their stockholding.

Thanks to the upgrades to the site’s dryers and setting technology, we have been able to further strengthen the quality of the bricks manufactured at Aldridge, improving production yield by an impressive 10%. The modernisation of the factory has helped us continue to deliver bricks that are reliable and consistent and meet the exacting expectations of the end customer, which includes some of the country’s leading housebuilders.