Fully automated production of wall bricks, plan bricks, filled bricks and brick ceilings made from regional loam and clay.
Ziegelwerk Freital EDER GmbH
01705 Freital (Production, Brick Center, plant laboratory, administration)New on Amplifa
About Ziegelwerk Freital EDER
Ziegelwerk Freital EDER GmbH produces wall bricks at its site in Freital near Dresden for residential and building construction. Around 2,000 single-family homes' worth of bricks are produced annually on a fully automated production line; the range includes 125 different formats for walls and ceilings. These include highly thermally insulating plan bricks (EDER XP), bricks filled with mineral wool granules (EDER XV), block bricks, sound insulation bricks, small formats as well as system supplements such as brick lintels, brick shells, roller shutter boxes and ceiling edge formwork. The Upper Austrian family-owned company EDER acquired the site in 1992 primarily because of the high-quality loam and clay mix; the fully automated plant was inaugurated in 1996 after one year of construction. Since 1997, EDER has been the first brickworks in Saxony to produce plan bricks. The delivery radius is approx. 200 km around Freital, the average transport distance 115 km. The company employs around 35 staff and is 100 % family-owned.
- Site
- Freital
- Processes
- Production of backing bricks and wall bricks (fully automated brick production), Plan brick production (grinding technology, first brickworks in Saxony to produce plan bricks), Production of filled bricks (EDER XV with mineral wool granule filling), Production of brick ceilings / ceiling system (EDER Type 21, Type 22, Type 25), Production of system supplements (brick lintels, thermal insulation lintels, round/segmental arch, Laser-based measuring system for dimensional control, In-house plant laboratory: development of building materials and processes, product monitoring, Special raw material preparation / new material mixes / innovative production processes
- Materials
- Loam, Clay, Mineral wool granules, Neopor (insulation, λ 0.032 W/(mK)), Polystyrene, Perlite, Aluminium (plaster finish profile), Thin-bed mortar (Maxit mur 900 D)
- Certificates
- ISO 50001 (Energy Management System), Güteschutz Ziegel / accredited testing institutes, In-house plant laboratory
- Founded
- 1996
- Employees
- ~35
- Industries
- Construction industry / Building materials, Single-family house construction / Residential construction, Multi-storey building and residential construction, Construction industry / Building materials (brick production)
- 01
Raw material extraction (loam, clay)
- 02
Special raw material preparation and material mixing (in-house laboratory)
- 03
Fully automated brick shaping and drying
- 04
Firing at almost 1,000 °C
- 05
Grinding technology for plan bricks
- 06
Laser-based dimensional control
- 07
Filling of filled bricks (mineral wool granules)
- 08
In-house quality inspection and monitoring by testing institutes
- 09
Precise delivery and construction consulting
Materials and Processes
Loam
Regional main raw material; the high-quality loam-clay mix was decisive for the site selection.
Clay
Ceramic base material of the fired wall bricks.
Mineral wool granules
Additive-free filling of the XV bricks produced by EDER itself for thermal and sound insulation.
Neopor
Insulation material (λ 0.032 W/(mK)) in ceiling insulation formwork as well as roller shutter and raff store boxes.
Polystyrene
Insulation material in roller shutter and raff store boxes.
Perlite
Interior thermal insulation in roller shutter and raff store boxes.
Aluminium
Plaster finish profiles on roller shutter and raff store boxes.
Thin-bed mortar (Maxit mur 900 D)
Facing thin-bed mortar according to DIN EN 998-2 (MG III) for the plan brick processing system; reduces mortar requirement by 90 %.
Sites
Freital
DEProduction site with brick center (showroom, sample shell construction, administration, plant laboratory)
- Part weight / size
- Brick weight 1.9–18 kg/piece (depending on format)
- Lot size
- Large series (capacity for around 2,000 single-family homes/year)
- Materials
- Loam, clay, mineral wool granules, Neopor, polystyrene, perlite, aluminium
- Fully automated brick production line (1996)
- Grinding technology for plan bricks (1997)
- Laser-based measuring system (2001)
- Plant laboratory with in-house building materials development
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production of backing bricks and wall bricks (fully automated brick production)Casting | Tolerances on plan bricks below 0.1 mm | – | – | – | Loam, Clay, Mineral wool granules |
| Plan brick production (grinding technology, first brickworks in Saxony to produce plan bricks)Casting | below 0.1 mm (laser-based measuring system) | – | – | – | Loam, Clay |
| Production of filled bricks (EDER XV with mineral wool granule filling)Casting | – | – | – | – | Clay, Mineral wool granules |
| Production of brick ceilings / ceiling system (EDER Type 21, Type 22, Type 25)Casting | – | – | – | – | Brick, Concrete |
| Production of system supplements (brick lintels, thermal insulation lintels, round/segmental archCasting | – | – | – | – | Brick, Neopor, Polystyrene, Mineral wool, Perlite, Aluminium |
| Laser-based measuring system for dimensional controlTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| In-house plant laboratory: development of building materials and processes, product monitoringTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Special raw material preparation / new material mixes / innovative production processesEngineering | – | – | – | – | Loam, Clay |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brickworks / fully automated production line | EDER | 1 | – | 1996 | Freital |
| Grinding technology for plan bricks | – | – | – | 1997 | Freital |
| Laser-based measuring system | – | – | – | 2001 | Freital |
Additional services
Quality and Certificates
The products are continuously monitored by accredited testing institutes, the in-house plant laboratory and by the Güteschutz Ziegel quality association. A laser-based measuring system reduces tolerances on plan bricks to below 0.1 mm.
| Evidence | Freital |
|---|---|
| ISO 50001 (Energy Management System) | |
| Güteschutz Ziegel / accredited testing institutes | |
| In-house plant laboratory |
History of the Freital Site
- 1799
First documented mention of the brickworks of the Döhlen manorial estate; presumably existing since the 12th century.
- 1946
Expropriation of the manorial estate in the course of land reform; founding of VEB Ziegelei Freital.
- 1976
Discontinuation of brick production, as concrete was favored as a building material in the GDR.
- 1992
Acquisition of the site by the Upper Austrian family-owned company EDER because of the raw material quality.
- 1996
Inauguration of the fully automated brickworks on 14 June after one year of construction.
- 1997
Investment in new grinding technology; EDER produces plan bricks as the first brickworks in Saxony.
- 1998
Product range expanded to include the EDER ceiling system.
- 2001
Commissioning of a laser-based measuring system; plan brick tolerances below 0.1 mm.
- 2006
Tenth anniversary with over 1,000 invited guests.
- 2014
Occupancy of the new administration building; completion of the sample shell construction at the EDER Brick Center.
- 2019
Product range expanded to include the filled EDER XV bricks (36.5 and 42.5 cm).
- 2021
25th anniversary of Ziegelwerk Freital.
- 2023
Quality initiative: new social and work spaces at the plant.
- 2024
German Brick Prize 2024 for forward-looking architecture with brick.