Brick kilns fire up again

Long-standing local business Geraldton Brick is back up and running after a buy-out from Geraldton-born-and-raised Mark Blayney.

The kilns are firing up, the machines are back online and all core staff bar one have returned to their posts.

Mr Blayney, the cousin of Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney, said bricks should be on sale again within the next day or two.

“Everyone has bent over backwards to try to help us, the gas suppliers, the Department of Environment Regulation — because like all of us all they want to see is a successful business,” he said.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not going to be an overnight success or anything but it’s about putting in the hard yards to get a good result for Geraldton.”

Mr Blayney’s family will continue to live in Perth, but he plans to travel to and from Geraldton to run the company from on site.

The company went into receivership in October last year, and was handed over to Cor Cordis for administration in December.

At the time then-director Geoff Crothers cited increased competition from Perth manufacturers keeping prices down and a lack of support from non-local builders as the reasons for the company’s failing fortunes.

Mr Blayney said the company’s path to success would be its ability to fill smaller orders for niche markets.

“We’re not trying to compete in the same market as the Australs and Midland Bricks,” he said.

“But what we can do is fulfil all those smaller, specialised orders the big companies can’t really cater to.”

Operations manager Troy Hutchinson said a good example was the “wet-tumble brick”, which could be used in heritage-style buildings and reconstruction.

“We just had one order for 21,000 bricks into New South Wales, so that side of the business is nationwide, not just in Geraldton or WA,” he said.