Cosmec: efficiency and automation in the USA

The recent projects carried out by Cosmec at ACME's facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and at Plant 8 of The Belden Brick Company, demonstrate the company's strong presence in the U.S. market.

The USA is one of Cosmec’s most strategic markets, with a strong appetite for investment and a growing focus on technological innovation and process automation. Over time, the company has strengthened its presence in the market by supporting brick manufacturers with tailored solutions.

Recent projects carried out at ACME’s plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma and at Plant 8 of The Belden Brick Company demonstrate this commitment. Both projects reflect Cosmec’s approach to optimising plant performance and laying solid foundations for future automation.

ACME: a step change in production

As part of the modernisation of ACME’s plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Cosmec carried out a major technological upgrade designed to improve production efficiency and reduce downtime across extrusion, cutting and wet-setting kiln car loading operations.

The project included a cutting system upgrade to improve precision and operational stability, the introduction of a face-to-face brick flipping system and the design of two robotic grippers for brick module transfer and kiln car loading. These solutions were developed to ensure reliable handling in the demanding conditions typical of wet-setting processes.

The kiln car handling and movement system was also completely redesigned to optimise synchronisation between the various production stages along the line.

The modernisation project delivered an approximately 40% increase in hourly output, fewer operator-related stops and a significant improvement in overall plant efficiency.

One of the main engineering challenges involved integrating the new machinery with existing legacy systems. This was resolved through software updates and process optimisations, allowing the existing equipment to be fully reintegrated into the new production flow.

From a hybrid manual to a robotic system: the upgrade of Plant 8

At Plant 8 of The Belden Brick Company, Cosmec has installed a fired brick unloading and packaging system designed to enhance production flow, improve product consistency and prepare the plant for future automation.

Phase 1 of the project is currently operational and involves manual unloading on three separate production lines, each receiving bricks from a different kiln car. This ensures effective colour blending and a consistent final appearance.

The system is organised around three independent programming lines that converge into a single final packaging line, allowing flexible kiln car management while maintaining a centralised and uniform packaging process.

Phase 2 will introduce three robotic islands for automatic kiln car unloading. These robotic cells will progressively replace manual labour, increasing efficiency, reducing the workload on operators and improving the consistency of production cycles.

Once fully implemented, the system will transition from a hybrid manual setup to a fully automated production flow, in line with the plant’s modernisation strategy.