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On Thursday 4th September 2015, Worcester Bricks hosted guests from the clay brick sector and the local community to celebrate the launch of the first Habla Zig Zag Kiln to be constructed in South Africa. Guests included the mayor of Worcester, architects, the Department of Minerals as well as some clients, and suppliers who were introduced to the Habla Zig Zag kiln International team from Australia.
The Habla kiln is an energy efficient clay brick firing technology first built in Germany, and then operated successfully in Australia, the UK and America. Construction on South Africa’s first Habla Zig-Zag kiln at Worcester Bricks started in October 2015, and is expected to be in production and open for demonstrations in 2016.
Energy Efficient & Environmentally friendly technology
Peter Habla, Managing Director for HZZKI announced at the launch, “We are very excited about transferring the energy efficient and environmentally-friendly Habla Zig-Zag technology to the gateway of Africa – South Africa.
This Energy Efficiency Initiative by Worcester Bricks has been facilitated by the EECB project, following on from the workshops held in May earlier this year.
“We are encouraged to see a clay brick producer adopting an energy efficiency measure,” said John Volsteedt, Project Manager for EECB project. “This will allow Worcester Bricks to reinforce their economic sustainability through lower energy input costs as well as contributing to lower CO2 emissions. The new technology will provide Worcester Brick with a competitive edge that will allow them to be noticed, different and memorable.”
“It is important for producers to realise that change is inevitable” stated Julian de la Hunt, President of the Clay Brick Association of South Africa who was also in attendance. “New technology ensures the continued competitiveness of our products, with particular emphasis on cost, quality and environmental sustainability.”
The EECB Project and the CBA wish the team at Worcester Bricks and from HZZKI well in their endeavours, and look forward to being able to continue sharing this story at Worcester bricks.
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