Competencies - August 2016

A record-breaking feat

AquaClean Mera production at the ceramics plant in Wesel

A truly exceptional feat was accomplished at the German production site in Wesel. The foundations for the manufacture of the ceramic appliance for the AquaClean Mera shower toilet were laid in a record time of less than twelve months.

With the in-house production of the AquaClean Mera shower toilet, Geberit broke new ground in many respects. Development teams from the production sites in Jona (CH) and Wesel (DE) tackled the complex manufacturing process for the ceramic appliance, with the production of the AquaClean Mera shower toilets kicking off at the ceramics plant in Wesel less than twelve months later.

Craftsmanship of the highest quality
The manufacture of the WC ceramic appliance for the Mera involves a great deal of precision work. Indeed, because the ceramic appliance loses water during firing and therefore shrinks, the production moulds have to be exactly twelve per cent larger than the end product. The moulds are filled with slip – a mixture of quartz, kaolin, clay, feldspar and water – and dried. Around an hour later, the ceramic parts are carefully removed from the moulds and joined together with millimetre precision while still in a malleable state. Care and a steady hand are of vital importance during this step.

Strict quality control
Before the Mera ceramic appliances are glazed and fired in the kilns at a temperature of 1,230 °C, all the measurements – for example, in the area of the spray and dryer arm – are checked using test templates. The low production tolerances are a challenge even for experienced ceramists. Many of the production steps are reminiscent of traditional manual labour.