NEWS EXTRA WIENERBERGER: ABOVE AND BEYOND


Oliver Stanley visited wienerberger UK & Ireland’s new opened Smeed Dean concrete roof tile factory to learn about its drive for a sustainable future.


Factory


sustainability highlights:


early April, green reusable LOOP pallets, loaded with wienerberger’s Sandtoft roofing tiles, will enter the building materials supply chain – delivering multiple environmental and financial benefits to roofing distributors, merchants, housebuilders and Tier 1 contractors.


WIENERBERGER UK & IRELAND has opened its first concrete tile factory in the South of England. Located on the historic Smeed Dean site, which has made Yellow London Stock bricks for over a century, the launch marks the next chapter in the site’s legacy, shifting from traditional brickmaking to concrete tile manufacturing.


The 7,800sq m 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. 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, as well as increasing the supply of low carbon concrete roof tiles to address housing demand in the South of England.


wienerberger 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.”


Sustainable future 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 a closed- loop production system that reduces manufacturing waste. The site’s highly skilled team completed extensive training to support advanced and sustainable concrete tile production, tailored to the specialised requirements of plain tile and large-format Danum TLE tile manufacturing. wienerberger UK & Ireland has also signed a deal with The Pallet LOOP, the circular economy pallet reuse scheme for the construction industry. From


December 2025 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net


Once in receipt of green pallets, wienerberger roofing customers will be able to use The Pallet LOOP’s nationwide pallet collection service as an alternative to traditional pallet disposal methods, helping them cut waste, reduce carbon emissions and save money. For every green LOOP pallet returned for reuse, The Pallet LOOP will also give registered return partners a PayBack of up to £4.


The business provides a range of standardised pallets that are designed to be reused again and again, alongside a nationwide pallet collection service that will pick up pallets


Emmaus partnersihp As part of wienerberger’s commitment to social responsibility, and its ongoing partnership with Emmaus, a charity that works to combat homelessness and social exclusion, a portion of proceeds from sales of the Danum TLE tile manufactured at both the Smeed Dean and Sandtoft production sites, will be donated tothe charity. For every full pallet of Danum or Dual Danum TLE roof tiles purchased directly from wienerberger, 50p will


• wienerberger’s first fully electrified concrete tile facility, harnessing renewable energy from a combination of procured deep green electricity and a 650kW solar array (under construction)


• Heat recovery systems for energy efficiency.


• Smart lighting • A 10,000-litre rainwater harvesting system and an attenuation pond for water conservation .


• A closed-loop production system that reduces manufacturing waste.


• Use of low-carbon cement • Participation in The Pallet LOOP scheme to reduce pallet wood waste in our supply chain.


• Biodiversity-focused landscaping and drought- resilient planting to enhance the site’s ecological value.


be donated to Emmaus’s Build Your Community Grant and its core programmes. Through this partnership, wienerberger aims to donate £55, 000 this year. Robyn Cummins, director of fundraising and Influence at Emmaus UK, said: “We are delighted to expand our collaboration with wienerberger as part of its continued commitment to tackling homelessness. This partnership and the funds raised will have a significant impact. We believe that no-one’s life should be defined by homelessness. Together, we will support people to put their lives back on track and build a better future. We look forward to what this next chapter brings for our partnership.” BMJ


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