Gulf Construction Online

The Big 5

Maiden show

01 October 2012

NELISSEN Bricks of Belgium will be making its maiden appearance at The Big 5 show in Dubai this November in a bid to extend its sphere of operations to the Gulf region.

The company, which will be showcasing its range of bricks and tiles, says it will be targeting the Gulf region as a new market.

Commenting on the company’s goal behind participating at the Dubai event, the company’s marketing and communication manager Roberta Melis says: “The opportunity to grow our export business and the importance of being present in the biggest export countries is what has attracted us towards The Big 5 show.”

Nelissen Bricks was established in 1921 and has its head office and production facility in Lanaken Kesselt, Belgium. The company employs nearly 100 people and has an annual turnover of about $30 million.

It produces many different types of bricks such as Pastel, Nuance, Passion, Obscuro, X-Trem, Classico, Baekelsystem and Rodruza. The company’s forte lies in manufacturing bespoke bricks to client requirements. “Upon request, the company can manufacture the most difficult moulded bricks based on accurate and full-scaled drawings or models, which may be used by architects and construction artists,” says a company spokesman.

These special shape bricks require the creation of deckle frames, which cannot be used in an automated manufacturing chain and are, in fact, hand-made, he says.

“‘Specials’ with a thickness of 50 mm or 65 mm can be manufactured in a reasonably short period of time in virtually all colours of our extensive product line,” says the spokesman.

Nelissen says its guarantees quality brickworks. The final products are constantly monitored, and have been bearing the
CE standard since 2006. The company’s quality system has been continuously certified by BCCA (Belgian Construction Certification Association) since 1997 in accordance with the European NBN standard and ISO 9001.

“The various foreign quality certificates prove that our hand-formed facing bricks are highly appreciated outside Belgium,” says the spokesman.

Nelissen’s focus on quality is not confined solely to its products but also on the environment: its hand-moulded facing bricks are made of loess, a natural product. “We quarry this type of loam in our own quarries and convey it to our plants where it is processed using environment-friendly methods,” says the spokesman.

Nelissen also works with other companies of allied businesses to produce innovative products to meet market demand.

As such, it has worked together with Belgian company Seifert for more than 15 years to produce a high-quality and colourfast joint mortar required to allow bricks to set well. “The Seifert joining mortar is water-repellent, ready-to-use jointing cement and thin-bed mortar,” says the spokesman.

Another product Nelissen offers is the Luecking inner wall bricks. Lucking is a German family business that is specialised in baked inner wall bricks. Its extensive range includes building blocks and glueable blocks.

Nelissen Bricks continues to look for further opportunities for growth, and has ambitious plans for the future that involve diversification, setting up new offices, and expanding production capacity in line with its growing and changing export business, concludes Melis.

Nelissen Bricks can be visited at the Belgian Pavilion in Hall One, at The Big 5 show.