Executive Summary
With a keen ear for real-world feedback, engaged people and precision manufacturing the Brickfab ethos of continuous improvement provides the organisation with the confidence that their customers will not find a better building partner.
About Brick Fabrication Ltd
Brick Fabrication Ltd, also referred to as Brickfab, were established in 1997, supplying brick specials to the UK housing and construction industries. Today Brickfab have two production facilities at Pontypool and Stoke-on-Trent, designing and manufacturing brick-clad chimneys, full GRP chimneys, GRP canopies, prefabricated arches and lastly, brick specials.
Brickfab work with blue chip, national and larger regional or independent house builders across the UK, offering full 2D and 3D technical design of their customers’ products, and precision manufacturing using the latest CNC and cutting technology, as well as open mould and injection moulding glass-fibre reinforced plastic.
Significant investment in training and development is crucial. Brickfab respect the opinions of their people and gladly implement their ideas, creating technological advancements that make their lean-based processes more efficient and their products even more useful to the end customer.
About the Product
Brickfab chimneys replicate a real, in-built brick chimney stack, using slips cut from customers’ brick stocks, or by accurately colour-matching brick and mortar for GRP chimneys. The brick-slip chimneys can be made to accommodate live class 1 and 2 flue systems.
The chimneys are fully waterproof and aesthetically pleasing, but, as importantly, they satisfy essential planning requirements. Brickfab also provide a 10-year warranty on all chimneys.
Challenges
No matter how confident the team at Brickfab are about the quality of their products, customers expect independent, third-party testing and validation that the chimneys are fit for purpose.
The British Board of Agrément filled the need for a certification body that the industry trusted.
The Results
Brickfab are the preferred supplier of chimney products to a number of the top National House Builders. Their manufacturing process, quality procedure and the proven durability of their products mean they are successfully quoting for housing developments across the country, every day of every week.
Their website and marketing literature repeatedly reference their BBA certificate 13/5073, Product Sheet 1 for Brick-clad chimneys and Product Sheet 2 for GRP chimneys – they have worked hard to receive and retain their certification and, in an instant, it tells customers that there is rigour in their process, strength in their design and build, and quality in the product.
Working with the BBA
The project was relatively simple to get started: a phone call to the BBA resulted in an appointment with a Client Account Manager who explained the process, timescales and costs. A quotation was provided within a week and, after some fine tuning of requirements, a contract was signed.
The experience of working with the BBA was one of being in safe hands. Despite Brickfab’s desire to speed things up during the testing phase the BBA did a very thorough and professional job in making sure the claims made for the products were proved in the lab.
Gaining BBA Agrément Certification has provided Brickfab with the confidence to continue manufacturing chimney products to a standard expected by the UK house-building industry.
How Agrément Certification has helped
BBA certification is widely known throughout the construction industry as a symbol of quality and reassurance. It is a vital ingredient for product manufacturers to help ensure acceptance with specifiers, building control, Local Authorities and insurers. John White, Director of Brick Fabrication Ltd, commented:
“The BBA continues to be the undisputed ‘Gold Standard’ of certification that products are fit for purpose. The annual audit process means that we haven’t just met the standard once, we do it every year, and the staff at Brickfab take great satisfaction from meeting all requirements of the standard, and this fits perfectly with the LEAN principles used throughout the business.
We proudly hold BBA certificates for our Brick Clad Chimneys and Full GRP Chimneys and have done for several years. Our business is geared towards providing quality products for the UK housing industry and we firmly believe in the transparency and reassurance that the BBA logo and certification provides to our customers when they make a buying decision.”
We would not have been able to progress to being a major manufacturer of pre-fabricated chimneys without the independent third party certification provided by BBA for both our GRP range and our brick-clad chimney range. Our business goal is to satisfy our customers’ needs; one way to do this is by giving them the peace of mind that comes with BBA certification.”
For more information about Brick Fabrication Ltd and chimneys please contact:
Gemini Works
Estate Road
Pontypool
NP4 6YW
Email: sales@brickfab.com
Phone: +44 (0) 1495 759555
Website: www.brickfab.com
