Situated at the firm’s historic Smeed Dean brickworks, wienerberger UK & Ireland has opened its first concrete tile factory in the South of England.
The 7,800m² state-of-the-art production facility, based in Sittingbourne, Kent, has the capacity to produce 94 million roof tiles annually, enough for 32,000 semi-detached homes.
This is billed as marking a significant milestone for the manufacturer, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to low-carbon construction, regional investment and advanced concrete tile production. Manufacturing both Danum TLE large format concrete tiles and plain concrete tiles on two production lines, the factory will complement existing sites in the North and reduce average transport distance to southern markets by over 200 miles.
Chief Operating Officer Keith Barker said: “Launching Smeed Dean is about more than expanding our national manufacturing footprint – it’s about building for what’s next. Increasing our production capacity in the South and investing in decarbonised operations have been key priorities for us, so it is extremely rewarding to see these cutting-edge production lines up and running to deliver products that will support the UK’s evolving housing needs.”
The site is wienerberger’s first fully electrified concrete tile facility, “harnessing renewable energy and embedding sustainability into every layer of its operations.” This includes smart lighting, heat recovery systems for energy efficiency, a 10,000-litre rainwater harvesting system and participation in The Pallet LOOP scheme to minimise pallet wood waste.
Situated at the firm’s historic Smeed Dean brickworks, the site’s highly skilled team completed extensive training to support advanced and sustainable concrete tile production.
As part of the firm’s commitment to social responsibility and its partnership with Emmaus, a portion of proceeds from sales of the Danum TLE tile manufactured at wienerberger’s Smeed Dean and Sandtoft production sites support the charity in combatting homelessness and social exclusion.
For more information, visit www.wienerberger.co.uk
