by Sachin Murdeshwar

Wienerberger India’s robotic plant producing over 70,000 large format hollow blocks each day for the fast-growing construction industry has moved to sustainable electricity sources including wind and solar energy.

Initially, Wienerberger India’s state-of-the-art factory, located in Kunigal, 70 Kms from Bangalore, was dependent solely on conventional energy sources for its electricity requirement. This meant operating heavy duty robotics and other machinery capable of manufacturing a mammoth count of nearly 480 tons of clay blocks per day, 365 days a year, with minimum manual intervention, would need significant energy. In order to reduce dependence on the usual electricity sources, Wienerberger India was always on the lookout for alternative and renewable energy sources that would further its efforts for creating a sustainable roadmap in large-scale manufacturing. Since 2017, the factory was successful in sourcing over 90% of its electricity requirement from solar & wind farms.

Adds Monnanda Appaiah, Managing Director, Wienerberger India, “Heavy Duty automation and use of technology has made Wienerberger, by far, one of the largest clay block producers in South East Asia. With hi-tech robotics aiding the production process of over 70,000 large format blocks which is equivalent to 630,000 regular bricks per day, it is very obvious that the need for electricity is very substantial. And we are happy to state today that we have successfully managed to channel over 92% of Wienerberger’s electricity needs today from solar and wind energy.”

Wienerberger, with a rich heritage spanning two centuries, is a formidable name in the international building manufacturing market. With 200 years of experience & specialization in producing clay based building material (Wall | Facades | Roofs), the company also pioneered imbibing green technology in its production methodology. A firm sustainability roadmap is imprinted in the very ethos of the company’s working blueprint.

Since the company’s foray into the Indian market, back in 2009, Wienerberger’s India operations have paved the way for realizing extraordinary energy utilization 7 saving measures.

By conscious implementation of processes that not only recycles used energy but also reduce dependence on conventional sources of electricity, the company’s efforts towards adopting greener energy sources like wind & solar, has helped Wienerberger India to successfully set benchmarks for the building manufacturing industry across the country and the world at large.

“Wienerberger India is committed towards the principles of green building and sustainability and the company takes the use of alternative energy sources very seriously. We hope that our conscious endeavor to adopt solar and wind energy for manufacturing large quantities of clay hollow blocks, would further the cause of adopting green manufacturing concepts in India.”said, Monnanda Appaiah, Managing Director, Wienerberger India.