Hidden in plain sight: Celebrating our operatives who keep brickmaking moving at wienerberger Denton Works

At wienerberger Denton Works, our teams bring the brilliance of ceramics to life through their expertise in transforming the raw material into high‑quality bricks. As we mark this year’s International Day of Ceramics, we are celebrating not only the importance of ceramics in brickmaking, but also our people on the factory floor. These people may be hidden in plain sight, yet make a powerful impact behind the scenes, using their skills in manufacturing and quality control to ensure that our bricks keep moving from factory to site.

Stephen Deakin, Production Operative at wienerberger Denton Works joined the organisation in 2006, making special bricks. Over the past (twenty) 20 years, he has made a significant impact across four different departments.

“My journey at wienerberger has been steady and hands-on, always doing my best to help things keep moving. I pretty much began making special bricks, then moved to Dehacker, and now the Stockyard, where I also load wagons. Because I work closely with the bricks, I can identify a wienerberger brick when I see them outside. You can be going down the road, have a quick glance at certain edges, and think, ‘yeah, that’s one of ours.’ It feels good knowing I was part of that.”

“The most interesting part of my job is all the different sides of the work I get to do. I drive the full packer, which stacks the bricks, takes them off the line, and loads them into the wagons. It's different from driving a normal car because you're lifting forks up, working at height, and paying attention to everything around you. A lot of people don’t realise how essential our day-to-day work is. Taking the bricks off and loading them into lorries so they can go to other sites, helps keep everything in the factory running.” –  Stephen Deakin, Production Operative at wienerberger Denton Works, UK.

Vinny McNutt, Lead Operative at wienerberger Denton Works joined the organisation five years ago and has continued to grow in his role, contributing his expertise to operating the Dehacker, a specialised machine that unloads fired bricks from kiln cars and stacks them for packaging and dispatch.

“We make different products here at Denton, about fifty (50) different types of bricks. You have to know them all or at least be able to identify the ones you are working on, and that’s quite a lot of bricks to memorise. To make a good brick, there are several machines involved and a lot of factors to consider. At the end of the process, part of my job is to look at the quality of the products because that matters a lot to us.”

“The fact that I’m still here after five years is an achievement to me, my proudest one. It shows I am strong and doing something right. Hopefully, I have more time here, say another five, ten, fifteen years, who knows. I’m just excited about learning, growing and moving up at some point, because it’s really a progressive environment.”

When asked what has kept him within the organisation so far, Vinny says it’s the people, work culture and work-life balance.

“Working at Denton has been good. I work under a great manager, Chris Jones, Dehacker Team Leader at wienerberger Denton Works. He’s very nice, always puts safety first, and creates a nice atmosphere to work in. The work culture is solid, and I get on well with my colleagues. We work as a team, and it’s always nice to have a bit of a laugh with colleagues while we work. Also, the work schedule is brilliant; 7 days on, 7 days off. It’s hard work when you’re in, but you get a nice break, which is rewarding at the end of the day. I’ve been able to travel, see the world, and do things with my friends and family. It’s a nice work-life balance.” –  Vinny McNutt, Lead Operative at wienerberger Denton Works, UK.

“My advice would be, look after one another. You’ve got to be able to work well in a team. You’ve always got to have each other’s backs. There is large and potentially dangerous equipment on site, so you have to follow the safety rules, look out for yourself and one another. Your work colleagues basically become your friends because you spend so much time with them.”  - Vinny McNutt, Lead Operative at wienerberger Denton Works, UK.

“If I were to advise someone coming into manufacturing or into wienerberger, your role would depend on your skills, experience and qualifications. Whether you want to be an engineer or work on the factory floor, you’ve got to have a strong work ethic.” –  Stephen Deakin, Production Operative at wienerberger Denton Works, UK.

This International Day of Ceramics, we are reminded that ceramics does not only shape the bricks we manufacture but also the people who work on them. Stephen and Vinny’s hard work may be hidden in plain sight, but their impact is visible and embedded into every structure we create and every innovation we pursue. 

Happy International Day of Ceramics from all of us at wienerberger UK & Ireland.