Masonry Magazine August 2001 Page. 44
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BRICK INDUSTRY INCREASING SUPPLY TO MEET STEADY DEMAND
New Plants, Improved Efficiencies Add 900 Million Units Since "Shortage"
RESTON, Va., June 14, 2001-The nation's brick manufacturers are steadily increasing capacity to avoid the tight supply and longer lead times of the 1999-2000 building boom. Since 1999, the industry continues to phase in new plants and increase the efficiencies of older plants adding approximately 900 million (M) units of capacity- or about enough to build more than 60,000 all-brick homes this year.
"Although brick plants take longer to build due to EPA and other regulatory considerations, the industry continues to increase its capacity to meet home buyers' steady demand for brick's quality and value," said Tom Perry, Vice President, Brick Industry Association (BIA). "Home buyers this spring are finding their brick choices more readily available without the delays they may have experienced two years ago."
Brick manufacturers are also helping to offset the rising prices of natural gas by replacing older technologies with more energy-efficient, modem kilns.
Five new plants have started production this year with a total capacity of 277M. Last year, the industry added six new plants with a total capacity of 293M, and increased capacity by 116M among three plants. In 1999, brick manufacturers added four new plants for a total capacity of 195M. In 1998, two plants came on line with a total capacity of 90M. Four new plants were added in 1997 for a total capacity of 198M.
The average house is approximately 2,200 square feet in floor space, and, if all four walls were brick, would use about 15,000 brick. This means that every million brick in new capacity is the equivalent of 67 average new homes, if all wall space were brick. Every 100 million brick equates to 6,700 all brick homes; or, every million brick equals about 150,000 square feet of brick wall area.
NEW PLANTS/PRODUCTION*
1999 - May, 2001
Over the past two years, the nation's brick manufacturers have added new brick plants and increased efficiency. New plants, upgrades and increased capacities include:
Acme Brick Co., Fort Worth, TX
New plant, Elgin, TX, 2000;
Capacity 60M (million)
The Belden Brick Co., Canton, OH
New plant, Sugarcreek, OH, 2001;
Capacity 45M
Boral Bricks, Inc., Roswell, GA
New plant, Augusta, GA, 2001;
Scheduled to open in late October,
will produce approximately 40M
clay pavers (residential, commercial
applications).
Carolina Ceramics, Columbia, SC
New plant, Columbia, SC, 2000;
Capacity 28M
Columbus Brick Co.,
Columbus, MS
New plant, Columbus, MS, 2001;
Capacity: 80M
General Shale Products Corp.,
Johnson City, TN
Hanford, NC and Laural, VA plants,
2000; Increased capacity by 60M
BARBECUE BUILT FOR CHARITY
The Construction Specifications Institute held it's annual trade show June 21-23 in Dallas, Texas. The Mason Contractors Association of America participated in the show along with four other organizations (Versa-Lok, Old Castle, BIA, and NCMA) in the Masonry Industry Council's Masonry Pavilion. This year the MCAA built a brick barbecue for a local charity (The Family Place) for abused women and children.
With a tremendous amount of pre and post show support from Dee Brown, Inc., architects and engineers completed the construction of the barbecue pit during the CSI Show. Attendees were taught how to lay brick from Steven Fechino (an employee from WASCO, Inc., Nashville, TN), and were given a chocolate brick for their participation. Over 700 bricks were given away.
Jeff Buczkiewicz the MCAA Director of Marketing said "We are beginning to grow relationships with architects around the country. Between the Architects' Masonry Symposium and our exhibiting at customer trade shows, we are developing recognition among the architects. There were many architects at the show who remembered us from previous shows, or attended our symposium and were very enthusiastic about laying more brick. Through our continued marketing efforts, we can only continue to grow the contractor architect relationship."
The MCAA would like to thank Dee Brown, Inc. and WASCO, Inc. for their support of the 2001 CSI Show.
"BUILDING FOR CHARITY"
CSI Show attendees work to complete the barbecue which was donated to The Family Place, a local charity for abused women and children.