Behind the Scenes at Smeed Dean

Written by Miguel de Castro|Smeed Dean Project Manager

Since breaking ground on our 7,800m² concrete tile facility in January 2024, the Smeed Dean team has been on an exhilarating journey—one that’s seen us transform a vision into reality, step by step. From the first large format tile rolling off the production line in March 2025 to welcoming customers and trade press in November, every milestone has been powered by collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to building for what’s next.

Bringing a state-of-the-art concrete tile factory to life is no small feat. It’s taken dedication, expertise, and a relentless focus on progress. To shed light on these efforts, Miguel De Castro, Smeed Dean Project Manager, shares his perspective on what’s been happening behind the scenes at our Sittingbourne site.

At Smeed Dean, we believe in leading with foresight—not just experience. That’s why we’re proud to announce the completion of a 650kW Solar PV installation at our new tile factory, one of the most significant renewable energy investments in our portfolio to date. This project is more than an infrastructure upgrade; it’s a statement of intent, reflecting our ongoing commitment to decarbonisation and sustainable energy.

Following the successful installation at our nearby FloPlast site in Sittingbourne, we partnered with Olympus Energy once again to deliver this ambitious project. The scale of the installation means we anticipate it will cover a large proportion of the site’s annual energy requirements, dramatically reducing our reliance on grid electricity and cutting carbon emissions.

Collaboration was key. We worked closely with the installation team to meticulously plan every stage, ensuring health and safety remained the highest priority throughout. The panel installation is now complete, and the system is set to be fully operational in December 2025.

This investment is part of our broader ambitions—not just in terms of infrastructure, but in how we power our operations. By harnessing solar energy at this scale, we’re not only reducing our carbon footprint but also future-proofing the Smeed Dean site for years to come.

Our commitment to sustainability goes beyond energy. At Smeed Dean, we’re constantly seeking smarter ways to operate, guided by our values of innovation, responsibility, and collaboration.

• Zero-Waste Manufacturing: Our facility operates using a fully closed-loop system, enabling the recycling of all wastewater, concrete, and paint directly back into the production cycle. This approach ensures that absolutely nothing is sent to landfill, reinforcing our commitment to a circular economy.

• Water Efficiency: We’ve installed a 10,000-litre rainwater harvesting system, which collects and recycles water for use in manufacturing processes—drastically cutting our overall water consumption. Advanced metering technology throughout the site enables us to closely monitor and manage water usage, supporting continuous conservation efforts.

• Energy Efficiency: Intelligent lighting systems maximise efficiency, adjusting automatically to minimise consumption.

• Sustainable Transport Solutions: Electric vehicle charging points encourage greener travel for staff and visitors. 

Health and safety is the foundation of everything we do at wienerberger. On a project of this size and complexity, it’s always our first priority. The challenge of a constricted site, with large quantities of brick stock occupying big areas, meant we needed to constantly monitor and manage deliveries of machinery, building materials, and equipment to ensure a safe working environment.

But building a brand-new site also gave us the opportunity to design our facility around the machinery for optimal health and safety conditions and operational efficiency. 

The wienerberger team implemented weekly Health & Safety meetings attended by our main contractor, Toureen Group, and all contractors on site for the duration of the project. These meetings provided a forum to promote good health and safety practices and ensure effective coordination of works between our contractors.

At every stage, safeguarding our workforce has remained the foundation of our approach. Everything we do is done with health and safety in mind.

From the beginning of this project, we invested in our people and committed to equipping our staff from the existing Smeed Dean brick factory with the expertise needed to confidently operate the new roof tile facility. To support this, we implemented a comprehensive training programme focused on the latest advancements in tile manufacturing technology.

By leveraging the knowledge and dedication of our existing team, we enabled a seamless transition to this new operation, all while upholding the exceptional standards of quality and efficiency our customers have come to expect. Throughout the construction phase, our wienerberger operational and maintenance teams—who are now responsible for running the plant—gained invaluable hands-on experience by working closely with our supplier, Vortex, during the machinery installation. This collaborative approach has truly exemplified teamwork at its best.

It’s a truly exciting period at Smeed Dean, with each milestone bringing us ever closer to achieving full-scale production. We eagerly anticipate the imminent launch of our plain tile line, which will enable us to ramp up output and better support the growing housebuilding demands across the South of England.

This project stands as a testament to our steadfast dedication to innovation, operational excellence, and sustainability. By embracing the latest technological advancements and prioritising environmentally responsible design, our new facility is poised to set a new standard for sustainable manufacturing within the industry.