Warnham Brick Factory in West Sussex is one of the 197 Wienerberger production sites located in 30 countries worldwide. Founded in 1819 and with headquarters in Vienna, Wienerberger Building Solutions is the world’s largest producer of bricks and clay blocks, as well as the market leader for clay roof tiles.
Maintaining the optimal moisture content in the clay is paramount during Wienerberger’s brick and tile manufacturing processes. Given that clay’s inherent moisture is influenced by environmental factors at the quarry and during storage.
Therefore, consistent monitoring of moisture content is essential to enable timely adjustments to the water input. Unlike traditional manual spot checks, which are intermittent and prone to human error.
Utilising NDC Technologies’ PrediktIR moisture gauge, Warnham Brick employs a non-contact near-infrared (NIR) technology for precise and continuous clay moisture measurement, achieving an accuracy of ±0.3%. Its patented dual detector system guarantees a stable calibration, resilient to typical brickworks environmental variations in temperature, light, and humidity. The precision and reliability of the PrediktIR data allow Warnham Brick to use it as a crucial control point within their production. Consequently, this measurement is integrated into an automated system that regulates the water flow during manufacturing.
Maintaining precise control of moisture levels can have a significant impact on plant yield by reducing the number of poor-quality products and waste.
I knew that some of the other Wienerberger sites had already purchased some NDC PrediktIR moisture gauges and I had heard that they were really improving the production processes and quality control procedures. I met up with some of the Control Metrix team at ClayTech, and I was immediately impressed with their expertise and what they had to offer. After discussions with NDC Product Specialist, we went ahead and purchased four NDC PrediktIR gauges. The gauges have really helped us to monitor and have greater control of our water input system and we are already getting some really useful data. I would certainly purchase again in the future.
Philip Smallridge – Process Improvement and Quality Control, Wienerberger Ltd
Discover how a NIR moisture gauge can enhance your production efficiency and quality control – contact us today for more information.
