What is being built?

A new era and energy efficiency at Leier: the renovated Devecser factory sets new standards

Published

2025. 11. 12. 09:01

Magyar Építők

For this company, which has been operating in Hungary for forty years, sustainability is not only a goal but also a corporate philosophy. It was in this spirit that the Devecser factory was developed, where renewable energy and modern technology are used to increase production efficiency.

The complex development at the Leier Hungária Kft. plant in Devecser completed a complex development project in 2024 aimed at improving the energy efficiency and sustainability of its production processes: heaters were installed on the dryer and solar panels were also installed at the plant. The project was implemented under the management of Leier, with the participation of Hungarian, German and Dutch companies.

Development began in autumn 2023, but preparatory work had already started a year earlier. Trial operations took place in February 2024 and were completed in April. In the period that followed, the plant focused on fine-tuning the operation of the equipment, including the channel dryer and tunnel kiln.

The development was justified by the energy crisis and the huge increase in costs, as well as the increased demand for polished products and the improvement in the quality of building materials, while also being in line with the energy efficiency and environmental protection strategy of the Leier group.

„The modernisation has not only made the plant more efficient, but also more flexible, while significantly reducing energy consumption,” said Zsolt Vraskó, plant manager at the Leier brick factory in Devecser.

Robotisation and electric heating in manufacturing

The development robotised several brick manufacturing processes, such as raw material production and kiln car unloading. A new, more powerful brick grinding machine was also installed, and the channel dryer and tunnel kiln machinery and control system were modernised.

Two electric heaters, each with a capacity of 250 kW, were installed for the channel dryer. These serve several functions: they provide additional heating for the dryer, utilise the surplus production of the solar park installed in 2022, and enable connection to the AFRR system as an aggregation partner.

The solar park has a capacity of 866.32 kWp, consisting of 1,904 panels with a total capacity of 700 kVA.

The plant manager emphasised that the three modes of operation of the dryer's heating elements posed a serious challenge for the engineers developing the control system, who ultimately created software that can also be used in other areas in industrial environments.

Measurable results in terms of efficiency

As a result of optimised control, the integration of new technology and robotics, and the replacement of brick grinders, which had previously been a bottleneck, the plant's production increased by approximately 25 per cent, while energy consumption decreased by 20-30 per cent.

Sustainability is central to the philosophy of the Leier.

Leier Hungária Kft. is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Hungary this year its 40th anniversary of operation in Hungary, and for the company, sustainability is not only an economic issue, but also a philosophical one.

„Energy efficiency is a key issue because energy is a significant cost factor, but for us it is more than that: our guiding principle is to use resources and raw materials responsibly and efficiently.”

– emphasised Matthias Ebner, owner of Leier, adding that they had already been using electric cars within their factories in the 1990s.

In recent years, the group has implemented energy efficiency investments in several of its plants: solar parks with a total capacity of approximately 6 MW are already in operation at various sites, gas-fired burners have been replaced with electric ones, and an increasing number of electric forklifts and vehicles are being used.

Experience shows that these improvements not only reduce costs, but also significantly reduce the company's carbon footprint. Leier will continue to pursue efficiency improvements in the future, constantly looking for ways to further improve the sustainability of its operations.

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