For centuries, clay and brick have been quarried in the Rupel region. From the middle of the 19th century, mining really took big bites out of the landscape. Large constructions in and around Antwerp and the expansion of all cities in the country increased the demand and thus the production of brick.
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, overproduction caused a crisis in the brick industry. After WWI there was brief boom period due to the need for bricks for reconstruction. Due to the need for mechanization, larger and larger investments were needed. Companies had to join forces to stay on their feet.
From the time just after WWII until the end of the 1960s, the highest production figures were recorded. As a result of new production techniques and building codes, the range of bricks expanded. Besides the small and heavy hand form bricks, large and light machine bricks for interior walls came on the market. In 1963, ¾ of the brickworks still dried their brick by natural ventilation. Firing was still done in traditional round kilns.
Around 1965-1970, automation really took off in the Rupel region. The former seasonal and very labor-intensive hand-baking disappeared and fully automated factories took their place.
With the rise of new construction materials, competition with brickyards from other regions, the recession in the construction industry and the rise in energy prices, many brickyards went bankrupt in the 1970s.
Where once 150 to 180 brickworks were active in the Rupel region, only 1 remains today: “Wienerberger” in “Rumst”. However, due to the high degree of automation, total production has not declined in proportion. In the 1960s, around 40 brickworks processed 1764 million tons of clay per year. Now “Wienerberger” alone processes almost 240 thousand tons annually. They bought another new modern dredge in the late 1990s. You can see this one at work in front of the water tower.