Barcelona-based Equipceramic, a specialist ceramic technology producer, has partnered with a subsidiary of Jordan’s Sinokrot Group to build a brick production plant in the Iraqi city of Erbil.

A diversification for the Amman-based food group, the facility will have a production output of 1,200 tonnes a day - one of the highest brick production capacities in the Middle East region.

As technical partner on the project, Equipceramic has adapted the clay preparation line to the specific properties of the local clays, and analysed and selected the refractory materials used in the firing areas to guarantee the best performance.

Sinokrot’s North Crescent Investment partnered with Equipceramic for its experience and flexibility, and the partnership of the project has resulted in brickwork being conceived to manufacture perforated bricks and both load bearing and non-load bearing blocks in its range.

The entire production process of the plant has also been planned to be fully automated through robots, boosting energy efficiency and retaining the longterm flexibility of the facility.

The factory is currently being built and commissioning is scheduled for March 2014.