Kansas Brick & Tile

In 1947 and 1954 respectively, with an abundance of Dakota clay deposits in the heart of their state, Cloud Ceramics/Kansas Brick was formed. They quickly established themselves as a leading brick supplier throughout the United States and Canada, producing primarily face brick. Face brick offers both structural support, durability and a nice appearance on homes and buildings.

In the early 2010’s, they started to see an increased need for thin brick veneer, a material that can be applied on new and existing structures when full brick can’t be used. Thin brick veneer offers the same great look of brick, but often at a lower cost. To offer this brick veneer, Cloud Ceramics/Kansas Brick needed to saw their face brick down to 1/2” or 5/8” thick pieces. Without the right equipment to produce thin brick themselves, they hired a different company to cut it for them. This method added an additional step in their process, added additional freight, took the control out of their hands, and was not the most efficient way to produce thin brick. Thus, they began looking for a way to produce thin brick in house.

They found Park Industries® in their research for the right machine. While Park’s veneer saws were typically used for natural stone, they could see their potential for brick. After discussing their needs, a custom demo was setup at Park Industries® to cut some of their hardest product. The results of the demo impressed, so in 2014 they invested in a TXS-4500 saw.

Cloud Ceramics/Kansas Brick runs any size of their product up to 11 5/8” brick, cutting both flats and corners on their TXS-4500. The saw has been a workhorse for their operation ever since it was installed, allowing for a much more profitable in-house process versus hiring it out as they had previously. They currently produce approximately 40,000 thin brick veneer parts per week with two employees operating the TXS-4500.

In 2018, they had the need for another saw to start cutting thin brick at a different plant. They opted to go with Park’s latest veneer saw, the TXS-3000 Whisper. While it’s a little more compact, and only offers one blade, they really like the new improvements it brought to market. Their employees details this, “While both machines are built extremely well, have excellent throughput, and produce clean cuts with minimal chipping; we are liking the TXS-3000 better than the TXS-4500. It’s very easy to service with the new shroud design. You can just tilt the shroud up, making the blade much easier to change. Also the whisper technology has significantly reduced the noise of the machine. “

They run all sizes of brick cut to 5/8” thick through their TXS-3000 Whisper, cutting both flats and corners. They produce approximately 40,000 brick veneer slabs per week on the Whisper saw.

Today, Cloud Ceramics/Kansas Brick operates out of multiple brick plants, all located in Kansas. They produce top quality face and thin brick for architectural and residential construction. Common end uses are exterior siding, fireplaces, entry gates, backsplashes, and more. On why to partner with Park, they state, “They have been great to work with. They are easy to talk to and a great resource, providing advice on things like which blades to use or how to improve our machine usage. Their prices are fair and the machines are quality. Make the call, and talk to them today.”