Analysis: Bricks
By putting the policy of replacing all baked building materials, including clay bricks, with alternative building materials strictly by 2020 in place, the government has been able to exert pressure on the informal sector to phase out use of burnt clay bricks. The policy further provides for the use of about 15-20 million tonnes of industrial waste such as thermoelectric ash, blast furnace slag, etc., in the production of building material.
Malaysia
Malaysian brick making industry is most modern among its ASEAN peers. Country’s brick production is dominated by three dozen big and small scale manufacturing units. In last 10-15 years, alternative construction materials like cement blocks have replaced brick usage to a large extent. On per capita basis, Malaysian usage of traditional bricks is far less as compared to South Asian countries. Last year was a tough time for the Malaysian bricks manufacturing industry. All the major producers struggled due to the rising operation and production costs. At the beginning of the 2014, electricity tariff went up by nearly 19% in the country, To mitigate the adverse impact of this abrupt rise in the production costs, all major producers intensified their effort to achieve greater efficiency in manufacturing processes.
Claybricks & Tiles Sdn. Bhd. (Claybricks)
Located at Kota Tinggi, Johor, Claybricks state of the art plant has an annual production capacity of 300,000 metric tonnes of fired products in wide variety of colors and textures. Occupying an area of more than 10 hectares, the company also owns about 80 hectares of clay quarry to ensure consistency in quality of raw material supply. Kota Tinggi is a historical town well-known for its abundant reserve of quality clays for ceramic and heavy clay industries. The company claims that rich clay deposit in the proximity enables it to produce a wide varieties of products with texture ranging from smooth face, rock face, sandblast, cobble and tumble; while the color ranges from white, cream, granite, red, purple, brown and many other combinations of shades and tones. Company also produces brick accessories and bricks of special shapes to fulfill the pursuance of perfection by some architects or designers. Claybricks & Tiles claims that about 90% of its products are exported to Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East.
Table- Major Brick Producers in Malaysia S. No.
Company
Location
1
Cheras Brickworks Sdn Bhd
Selangor
2
Galian Brick Industries Sdn Bhd
Kuala Langat
3
Kilang Batu Hap Kee Sdn Bhd
Kuala Lumpur
4
LDV Batubata Kerlin Sdn Bhd
Selangor
5
Qiristar Bricks Contractor Sdn Bhd
Serendah
6
Selendang Delima Bricks Manufacturer Sdn Bhd
Kajang
7
Sentosa Brickworks Sdn Bhd
Rawang
8
Wira Bricks Sdn Bhd
Shah Alam
9
Yap Khay Cheong Brick Works Sdn Bhd
Kuala Lumpur
10
Yap Teck Heng & Sons Bricks Industry Sdn Bhd
Kuala Lumpur
11
Original Clay Industries Sdn Bhd
Johor
12
Kimtee Brickworks Sdn Bhd
Selangor
13
Kilang Batu Bata KYH Sdn Bhd
Pahang
14
Parksim Bricks Sdn Bhd
Pahang
15
Brick Dotcom Sdn Bhd
Kuala Lumpur
16
Deluxe Brickworks Sdn Bhd
Klang
17
Thai Huat Brickworks Sdn Bhd
Kula Lumpur
18
Malaysian Red Bricks Factor Sdn Bhd
Kuala Lumpur
19
Sin Heap Fatt Brickworks Sdn Bhd
Kuala Lumpur
Kia Lim
Public company, Kia Lim is one of the largest and most modern clay brick manufacturer in Malaysia. The company is engaged in the production of clay common bricks, facing bricks, block bricks, brick tiles, chamfered paving bricks, and H-shape pavers, as well as roofing tiles. With an installed production capability of approximately 180 million pieces of bricks per annum (approximately 400,000 tons of clay bricks), the company has installed new European production lines for facing bricks and pavers. Kia Lim claims that it has a 30% market share in Johor and Malacca. The company markets 80% of its products locally and exports the rest to Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and the Middle Eastern countries. Managing director Dr Tang Hai Chiang says, “In the last 10 years there were about 400 common brick manufacturers in the country but 70% of them had since closed down due to stiff competition. In Johor there are only 10 left now.”
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asian ceramics
october 2015
Unity Brick Works Sdn Bhd
Incorporated in Mar 2010 at Pekan Tehel, Melaka, Unity Brick Works Sdn Bhd is a new brick producer in Malaysia. Company’s first factory in Pekan Tehel, Melaka has a production capacity of 2 Millions clay bricks per month. Its second brick manufacturing operations at Benta, Pahang commenced in 2014 with a production capacity of 1.5 Millions clay bricks per month. The company claims that is looking for further expansion of its manufacturing capacity in coming years as more and more development take place in Malaysian construction industry.
Indonesia
Most of the brick production in Indonesia is located in Java. A major part of the total brick production is carried out by cottage and village industries, which account for 20% and 43% of total production,
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