Project Remit
A major part of the project involved exchanging both roll assemblies on a medium-speed rolls 4802 machine and on a high-speed rolls 4799 machine. Craven Fawcett engineers were also required to replace worn parts on a Centex Extruder mixer section.
Wienerberger was confident of Craven Fawcett’s expertise in this area, having worked with the company many times over the years on several successful maintenance and capital equipment projects.
The Challenge
The project required partial removal of the factory roof to provide crane access to the machines at Wienerberger’s facility – a complex task in itself.
Adding to the challenge, the team faced very poor weather conditions.
In addition, the maintenance works needed to be completed within a two-week factory shutdown period in order to minimise any disruption to normal operations. This tight schedule demanded careful planning and close co-ordination between the engineering teams and the Wienerberger factory staff.
Despite these obstacles, the skill and experience of the Craven Fawcett engineering team ensured the project was completed safely and efficiently.
The Craven Fawcett Solution
To enable this work to be carried out, contractors were appointed to remove part of the factory roof.
The Craven Fawcett team supported Wienerberger with plans and guidance on slinging positions and weight distribution, ensuring compliance with Work at Height Regulations and best practice health and safety procedures during the crane lifts. This preparation was key as the project involved various manual handling tasks and the movement of very heavy spares.
For the maintenance work, the Craven Fawcett team exchanged the roll assemblies on the clay preparation machines and ensured they were aligned to minimise wear from the clay being prepared.
As part of the project, Wienerberger also requested that the Craven Fawcett team replace worn parts on the Centex Extruder mixer section, including mixer knives, knife holders, split worms, annular rings, cones, and shredders. This comprehensive approach ensured that all key elements of the machinery were fully restored, extending their operational life.
Craven Fawcett’s engineers successfully completed the maintenance of the three machines and replacement of parts within a nine-day period.
Gavin Richardson, Service Manager at Craven Fawcett, explained: “This was a major maintenance project and one which was carried out safely, efficiently and within the customer’s timeframe. We worked alongside Wienerberger and its contractors to ensure part of the roof could be removed safely for the roll assemblies to be put into place. The whole project ran smoothly, and Wienerberger enhanced productivity and extended the lifespan of these important assets.
"I would like to thank all staff at the Kingsbury site for their assistance, especially Andy Johnson, John Malpass and George Stringer."
Craven Fawcett has worked with Wienerberger, the world’s largest manufacturer of bricks, for many years. This partnership includes the manufacture of capital equipment, ranging from clay preparation machines to extruders, and providing full support, servicing, refurbishment, and repairs
Craven Fawcett is the UK’s largest manufacturer of clay preparation and brick manufacturing machinery, a division of Group Rhodes, and is committed to manufacturing first-class, design-led engineering solutions geared directly toward producing state-of-the-art machinery for the heavy clayworking industry.
