Clemson Brick Forum reaches its 70th edition

The event promises to be very attractive for the entire US brick industry. From September 30 to October 1, 2024 at the Anderson Civic Center.

Preparations are underway for the Clemson Brick Forum, the international brick industry event held each autumn in Anderson, South Carolina. This 70th Clemson Brick Forum will be held on September 30th and October 1st, 2024, and is the latest edition of an event that has long played a vital role for the US brick industry. Organized by the National Brick Research Center, part of the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences of Clemson University, the Forum remains true to its original “Brick People to Brick People” mission of providing practical and pertinent information to heavy clay manufacturers. The two-day event will be held in the Anderson Civic Center in Anderson, SC and will feature technical presentations by a wide variety of brick industry leaders. The topics of discussion will include energy saving technologies, digitalization, and sustainability.

The Forum is expected to attract hundreds of attendees from all over North America and Europe, who will have the opportunity to meet the sponsor companies participating with their own booths. There will be unscheduled blocks of free networking time, as well as meals and other hospitality and networking opportunities.

The National Brick Research Center

The National Brick Research Center (NBRC) conducts testing and research for the brick manufacturing industry and provides educational resources for Clemson University students attending the School of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences and. It is an autonomous, completely self-funded institution with its own buildings in an off-campus research facility. The Forum is a major contributor in terms of educational resources, with various sponsors and vendors assembling to present the latest industry research and information, to share ideas, and to network. The technical presentations from each Forum are recorded and archived on the NBRC website, and NBRC members have unlimited access to those recordings. Members of NBRC can also benefit from a variety of other services including monthly newsletters which keep members alerted to ongoing research and industry events. NBRC also offers members access to WikiBrick, its online library of industry papers, articles, and presentations from many sources. The program of educational initiatives includes the Brick and Heavy Clay Manufacturers Short Course, a twice-yearly, 4-day intensive course which covers all aspects of the brick manufacturing process through lectures and hands-on lab activities and caters for industry newcomers as well as industry veterans. Members also receiver twice-monthly “Little Things Mean a Lot” emails of brick industry information. Members also have access to e-learning opportunities through live Webinars and through pre-recorded “Basics for Brickmakers” series available on demand.

Dedication to research

The National Brick Research Center’s current areas of research focus on sustainability, carbon footprint reduction, the use of brick as a passive thermal and moisture management material and thin brick (brick slip) applications. Testing activities include raw materials analysis, problem-solving issues relating to forming, drying and firing and finished product certification and are performed at the more than 1,500 sqm Bishop Materials Laboratory, which is equipped with a pilot plant and state-of-the-art instrumentation.