Nelissen reconciles past and future in its new Brick Academy
Nelissen Steenfabrieken has just opened the Brick Academy in a corner of its own premises in Kesselt (Lanaken). It is a modern training centre coupled with a mini-museum. The Brick Academy will be the starting point for tours of the company and the home base for internal training sessions and events.
Right next to the high chimney, which is no longer in use but was completely restored for sentimental reasons, now stands the Brick Academy. The new two-storey building is the final phase of an extensive investment programme that Nelissen Steenfabrieken rolled out in recent years. The construction of a new head office, the expansion of production, the modernisation of the machinery and investments in sustainability cost no less than EUR 35 million. The Brick Academy is the final piece of the puzzle.
"The new building will be used for multiple purposes," says co-CEO Burt Nelissen. "First and foremost, it is a training centre in which we continuously train our employees. In our opinion, it is vital that everyone in the company can develop and prepare themselves for the future. We offer these opportunities in the form of education and training in both technical knowledge and soft skills" On the first floor of the Brick Academy, there is a modern meeting room with all modern communication equipment. "This accommodation can also be used for presentations, lectures, receptions and other events", says Burt Nelissen.
The new building also serves as a mini-museum. The rich history of the company, covering exactly one hundred years in 2021, is illustrated by photographs, striking objects and historical documents. Founder Alfons Nelissen's passport and badges of honour, old pay slips, brochures and product samples ... all of these provide visitors to Nelissen Steenfabrieken with many interesting stories.
On the other side of the complex, the current production process is explained in a lively manner. With the presentation of all the ingredients used in the various types of bricks and a graphic presentation of the various steps leading to the finished product, visitors get a first impression of the daily activities at Nelissen Steenfabrieken. "This is the ideal start for a tour of our factory halls“, says Burt Nelissen. “We made a passage from the Brick Academy to the production facilities, so that we can immediately take our guests into the wonderful world of our modern company"
