METROBRICK – About Thin Brick

‘Made in the USA’ is not a phrase we take lightly – we have been saying it for 150 years.

As we look forward to the upcoming 4th of July Celebration, it is a great time for us at Ironrock to reflect on a very special anniversary -150 years of making the highest quality brick and ceramic products.

Ironrock is a fifth generation family owned company located in Canton, Ohio. We have a brick making heritage that dates back to 1866. We are the makers of Metropolitan Ceramics® Quarry Tile and two thin brick products – METROBRICK® and Royal Thin Brick®.

In 150 years, our company has seen a lot of the history that makes up the fabric of the United States, and we have made quite a bit of our own.

We are proud to have provided products along the way to help build our country, from road paving bricks that were the foundation of a budding road system, to durable and slip resisting ceramic tile used in countless buildings throughout the country, to thin brick used to clad a wide variety of buildings.

As we celebrate a storied history, we look forward to a bright future and are proud to say we are Made in the USA.

Happy Fourth of July from all of us at Ironrock.

Rob Schrock

Ironrock is pleased to announce Rob Schrock as the new National Sales Manager – Thin Brick. The National Thin Brick Sales Manager is responsible for meeting and exceeding annual thin brick sales goals, creating and growing a strong national channel of distribution and establishing METROBRICK® and Royal Thin Brick® as leaders in the thin brick market.

In his new role Rob will make presentations to architects and specifiers, distributors, precasters & tilt-wall companies, field applied systems companies and other users and influencers for both the METROBRICK® and Royal Thin Brick® product lines.

Rob has over twenty-five years of construction industry experience. He has extensive experience working in the area of thin brick sales and management, having held positions with both Tabs Wall Systems (2006-2011) and most recently Glen-Gery Corporation (2011 to present).

In his work with thin brick, he has developed new and existing sales markets, increased territorial distribution, helped create and implement new products, worked in customer training, facilitated job site resolutions, and lead numerous architectural presentations.

Rob has a complete understanding of the technical aspects of thin brick construction, having been responsible for construction details, technical management, testing plans and the coordination of ASTM testing.

This year is a special one for METROBRICK’s parent company Ironrock. This year – 2016 – marks the anniversary of 150 years of high-quality brick and tile manufacturing.

In 1866, Jacob Renkert, the company’s founder, began his career in brick manufacturing. Today, Ironrock remains a fifth generation family owned company located in Canton, Ohio. The company is now under the direction of Guy Renkert, President, and CEO.

As is likely to happen in a span of time that includes two world wars and a great depression, the product focus has changed over the years to meet the demands of the day. For example, Jacob Renkert began his career making fire brick for the iron industry. By 1889, he turned his attention to making paving bricks for an ever expanding roadway system. At one time, the Metropolitan Paving Brick Company was the largest road paving brick manufacturer in the world. The company’s heritage also includes the production of structural glazed facing tile and refractory brick.

In the 1970’s the company saw the need for a durable slip resisting tile product for demanding applications and began to focus on the production of extruded quarry tile. Today Ironrock is well known, under the Metropolitan Ceramics® brand, as the largest quarry tile manufacturer in the United States. It was also at this time that the company began its first inroads into manufacturing thin brick with the development of a thin brick panel system that may have been a bit ahead of its time.

With the introduction of METROBRICK® in 2002, Ironrock built on its heritage and returned to the production of thin brick. This time, Ironrock found the market ready for thin brick solutions. Back when Ironrock entered into quarry tile manufacturing they did so with a brand new production facility, one that was designed to extrude and fire thin material. Having a plant that was designed to extrude thin was a great advantage in manufacturing thin brick.

The system was already in place to give the market the type of thin brick it required, one that was consistent, durable, and dependable. Today, METROBRICK® is specified on buildings throughout the country. And METROBRICK® continues to add to its product offering with additional colors and finishes. The most recent examples are a charcoal color and a vertical wire cut finish available in modular size on both flats and corners.

Ironrock is able to celebrate 150 years in brick and tile manufacturing because of a commitment to doing things the right way combined with a willingness to adapt to the needs of a changing market. METROBRICK® is the culmination of those years of experience and dedication.

One visible example of Ironrock’s commitment has been the addition of automation and robotics over the last number of years at key intervals throughout the production process. And as a visible way to pay homage to generations of family leadership over the years, the company has taken to naming various robots on the production floor after key figures. Names such as Hal, Steve, Harry, Amy, and, of course, Jacob can be seen in bold block letters on various robotic arms. Ironrock continues to provide quality products like METROBRICK® because of this commitment to look forward while still honoring the past.

Here are a few pictures taken this spring in Florida. These pictures represent only a small portion of the many Florida jobs featuring METROBRICK. Secondary education buildings are the main focus. Various construction types and thin brick installation methods were used.
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