MBH as the largest British owned producer of handmade bricks, machine bricks, pavers, clay tiles, special shaped bricks, and terra cotta, believe their ongoing investment and support of UK based brick manufacturing allows them not only to meet and manage consumer demand, but also to ensure they reliably supply sustainably produced products from their four UK factories.
Picture of Freshfield Lane brick sorter at the clamp face, featured in the Financial Times on 13th July, ‘UK building sector revives – brick by brick’.
Continuous innovation
Through continuous innovation from brands that enjoy rich heritages which have become some of the most trusted names behind today’s prestigious built environments, MBH can provide the latest technology, designs and fabrications to satisfy wider audiences. They are in continuous dialogue with their customer base to ensure that they can fulfil expectation and orders. MBH is a business with five leading market brands, established in 1997. The Company has grown through acquisition and organic growth producing an expected 68 million units of brick and terra cotta this year.
Ethos
Frank Hanna, Group Commercial Director of MBH reinforces the Group’s ethos stating, “The longevity of this natural material (lasting for at least 150 years) coupled with its inherit beauty, means that these ceramic products only improve with age, so we can be confident that we are supplying a durable product. We make a conscious effort to support our work force, with a strong bias towards local employment to nurture craftsmen within our factories. It is through collaboration with all professions involved in construction such as builders, planners, and architects that we can continue to provide influential designs and functional buildings for our communities and future generations.
Reducing carbon emissions
99% of our products remain in the UK and are delivered locally, meaning that we reduce the level of carbon emissions in transportation. For example our Michelmersh and Freshfield Lane factories deliver products under a 60 mile radius to site, better than the industry average. MBH is the first and only brick manufacturer to adopt BIM (Building Information Modelling, Government initiative) to date, which reduces waste on site by providing accurate and collaborative design data during all construction phases. We are also very enthusiastic with our innovative products such as ‘Hydrosmart’, offering a ‘greener’ paving solution and providing permeable paving which replicates natural drainage patterns, whilst treating the pollutants and retaining structural integrity. The water captured can either be stored, released directly back into the water course or fed into a drainage system, significantly improving the quality of downstream habitats and actively reducing our reliance on local infrastructure, during peak water levels. It is for all these reasons, plus our continuous innovation and adaptability, that we are confident in our ability to continue our customer-centric focus.“ With clay being an abundant natural material within the UK, MBH believes it is necessary to retain and invest in manufacturing within this country, delivering local products to local sites. Frank Hanna continues by reinforcing their ethos, “investing in process and sustainability, is investing for the future.” With an efficient operation as Britain’s number one brick specialists it can retain its values by not importing bricks for the UK market, therefore reducing transport miles and providing a more sustainable product at the core of their offering for the UK specifier.
Widespread use
Recently MBH products have been successfully used in projects such as the extension of the Lutyens-designed, Grade II Listed, Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead Garden Suburb and the award-winning Repton School in Derbyshire (RIBA, East midlands Building of the Year) designed by Avery Associates Architects. They are also suppliers to high value housing developers such as Berkeley and St James Homes, delivering to key city regeneration projects such as Lime Grove Mews, which has accomplished both classic English architecture with contemporary luxury (awarded Grand Prix 2013 and Best Family Home by the London Evening Standard).
Henrietta Barnett School, Grade II, extension of the Lutyens design, by Hopkins Architects Partnership LLP in London.
By having continuous success in the annual Brick Awards over a range of categories, recognising excellence in design and construction using brick. MBH can retain its reputation for beautiful, durable, natural looking clay fabrication and craftsmanship.
At the forefront
Whilst at the forefront of European standards in enforcing CE marking on all its products, MBH also provide Declarations of Performance in accordance with new regulation. MBH is committed to investing in a rolling programme of haulage fleet improvement. As of October 2013 all replacement haulage vehicles will be Euro 6 compliant.
St. Pancras Development, Grade I listed building, designed by Lewis Cubitt in 1852, restored in partnership with English Heritage.
MBH look forward to a more buoyant market going forward and reinforce that it is ready to respond rapidly to meet the increased demand of consumers. With continuous upgrades and investment in efficient machinery, MBH will ensure it will grow and adapt its capacity. It supports current Government initiatives (Help to Buy, Get Britain Building Campaign and BIM), and welcomes new schemes that will further support the industry. It endorses British manufacturing for British architecture and will continue to deliver sustainable, durable products for our built environment locally.
