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            Both of our production locations ( Adel and Sergeant Bluff ) have received certificates of registration for their
            ISO 9001 : 2000 Quality Assurance programs. This is an on-going commitment which requires recertification
            every 6 months. Additionally, both plants emphasize recycling and lowered Greenhouse Gas emissions. LEED
            Certification letters are available for individual projects.
      Contact: Norman Mahoney 712-258-6571 Ext. 118

12

Adel kilns - 2001 at left - 2006 at right.


Adel Plant
The new Petcoke fired kiln facility (2006) and the FBX Architectural facility (2001) are truly one of the most versatile and finest production facilities in the world. This plant is designed for a 5 day week - 1 shift operation which means that our first team is always on the floor making Great Brick for your project.

With 6 acres of building under roof and paved yard storage available for some 50 million BE's, this is not only a large facility, but arguably the standard for production in the brick industry.

The kiln plan features:

  1. Interchangeable kiln cars for production flexibility.
  2. Computer controlled moisture control and rate control with enhanced ability to take scrap and slurry recycling into account.
  3. FBX Architectural Bricks (gas fired) as well as distressed texture residential (Petcoke fired) Products
  4. A Rhythm Blending Machine. ( 3 robots) and a gentle giant packing machine which both feature 1 - high inspection with grading and paper every row.
  5. Computer controlled making, drying, firing, and packaging recipes for each product code.
  6. Modern Flue - Gas scrubbers on both kilns
  7. Fuel efficient kilns for reduced green - house gas emissions.
  8. Automatic kiln car cleaning after each cycle.
  9. Improved safety conditions and working conditions in general for our employees.

Sergeant Bluff Plant
   

Sioux City Brick additionally operates one of the most modern and efficient brick manufacturing plants in the world at its Sergeant Bluff, Iowa plant that came on line in September of 1997. This plant has all the features described above for the 2001 plant built at Adel, Iowa, except for the scrubber, the automated car cleaning and the use of robotic arms in the packaging department. However, a unique feature in this plant is the 18-brick wide hydrocasing kiln,

which uses a water seal rather than the traditional sand seal. This nearly perfect seal allows Sioux City Brick to control the reducing atmosphere needed to produce its outstanding natural Ironspot colors. The water seal provides a nearly perfect seal in the kiln and is designed to eliminate air leakage or infiltration, thereby increasing control over color consistency and reducing fuel consumption. The quality management system for this plant is also certified to ISO 9001:2000 by QMI, North America's leading Management Systems Registrar.

Some of the advantages of Sioux City's automated plant design are summarized as follows:
  • Energy Efficiencies.
  • Enhanced color control.
  • Close duplication of firing cycles.
  • Preprogramming of dryer and kiln changes.
  • Computer control of all kiln car movements without operator attendance.
  • Immediate customer service response due to automated tracking of production.
  • Computer control of variable speed drives for all critical fans.

    From the design concept to reality, Sioux City Brick made it happen at its Sergeant Bluff facility and is continuing to make it happen at its plant at Adel, Iowa. Sioux City Brick now has two of the most modern and efficient plants in the country. This will permit Sioux City Brick to meet the needs of its customers now and into the future.

    Water Sealed Kiln for Enchanced Controls
    Water Sealed Kiln For
    Enchanced Color Controls
    Final Inspection in done by hand
    Final Inspection Is
    Done By Hand

    AUTOMATION IS THE KEY

    The robotic setting machine has an output of 28,000 brick per hour. Two six axis-gripping robots spread the brick on a conveyor and another two four-axis robots set the brick on the kiln car. This system provides the flexibility to handle 20 different sizes of brick ( COMPARATIVE COSTS ). Another advantage is that only one brick long is handled at a time; this provides gentle handling and hence less deformation. Only two operators are required to run the main production line. Another unique machine is the vertical lift cutter. Compared to a conventional cutter, which pushes the brick through a horizontal plane with vertical wires, this cutter uses a vertical plane with horizontal wires. This approach produces a quality edge, significantly reducing chipping. It also maintains the straightness of the brick, since the brick is raised directly up through the wires.

    • 23 Sizes are programmed for quick changeover
    23 Sizes Are Programmed
    for Quick Changeover

    		 The automatic unloading gripper brings the brick from the car to the monorail where it is split in half for easy handling. The final blending and inspection is still done by hand assuring the human touch is added at this critical point. The monorail has a second strapping station for sorting special brick. The computer system consists of a multi-tasking Alpha station, which gathers information from every step of the process for production reports.

    To arrange for a tour of either facility, please call Norm Mahoney at 712-258-6571, ext. 118.

     

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