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Given the still incomplete production and supply
tuning of the VSBKs in Kabul, starting a VSBK venture requires a
strong will, endurance and the financial and management capacity
to pioneer a modern technology and to overcome the remaining teething
problems. A success formula for new technologies is: Success = Ability
x Discipline x Will to Succeed2
A Suitable Site (Soil Quality and Land Requirement)
A four-shaft VSBK can be built in on 400m2 of
land. But operating a four-shaft VSBK requires about 35,000m2. Additional
land is also needed for mining and storage of clay, for preparation
and molding, for storage of green and fired bricks, plus space for
machinery, vehicles, space for link roads, offices and quarters
for workers. Because a VSBK has a lifespan of 15 years or more,
the entrepreneur must have site, or access to a site, with clay
reserves for at least this time, or for the initial investment payback
period, which is typically around five years.
Investment Requirement (Sufficient Investment
and Working Capital)
Excluding the cost of land, a four-shaft VSBK
can be built with an investment of 100.000USD or 4-5 million Afghanis.
Depending on the site, starting brick business may require additional
investments for land development, additional machineries, depending
on the brickyard’s degree of mechanisation. However, the extra costs
on hardware required for a VSBK are usually more than compensated
by the reduced land investment for the kiln, which can be 100-200.000USD
(7-9 million Afghani) lower than for a BTK, depending on the selected
site.
Generally brick firing starts couple of months
after the green brick making. And sellable bricks are normally produced
two to four weeks after firing, depending on the quality of the
raw material supply and the skills of the labour and the kiln management
. An entrepreneur must also have cash in hand to cover the expenses
for this initial operating phase until cash starts to flow in from
sale of bricks. Hence an estimated amount of another 2 million Afghanis
would be required as an initial working capital.
Access to the Brick Market
Because a VSBK can have a life span more of than
15 years, it is important to analyze the possibility of operating
the kiln in the particular location for longer period before an
investment is made. When considering this, it is recommended that
a brick kiln is built slightly away from the human habitation, but
it should not be so far away from the market that there is a substantial
transport cost to bring the brick to the market.
Management structure (Kiln management)
A VSBK demands entirely different management
requirement than BTK. A VSBK owner needs to become a dedicated entrepreneur,
overseeing and supervising the operating regularly. Acting as a
landlord and only appearing at the kiln after dusk to collect money
is not enough. It is imperative that there trained fire-masters
living in close vicinity. A VSBK cannot be operated with existing
fire-masters from BTK without retraining. Green brick making practice
needs to be standardised for VSBK operation. At least one trained
supervisor is required to supervise green brick-making. A VSBK cannot
transform poor green bricks into a good fired bricks.
Access to Labour
Shortage of brick labours is a widespread problem
in Afghanistan. An entrepreneur needs to have good access to labour,
especially moulders before starting his/her business. VSBK fire-masters
are not readily available in the market so an entrepreneur must
have access to group of semi-educated people from near by, who can
be trained and developed.
Access to Coal Supply
VSBK requires high density and low volatile coal.
Coal with a calorific value higher than 4500 Kcal/kg and sulphur
content less than 1% is recommended for VSBK operation. Coal is
used as internal and external fuel; for internal fuel coal with
finer grain size is preferred whereas for external fuel, coal with
bigger lumps is recommended. Variability of the coal quality will
affect the brick quality directly and hence also on the financial
return. Hence the entrepreneur needs to identify, and have access
to, a regular supply of right quality of coal.
Access to Support Services
VSBK construction and operation requires special
skills. Hence the availability of skilled technicians to assist
in design and construction of a VSBK is a prerequisite. Some metal
parts such as unloading screws, trolleys and chimney require fabrication
so entrepreneur must have access to reliable and well equipped engineering
workshop. For initial operation, until the fire is stabilised, firing
should be done under the supervision of a VSBK firing expert and
fire-masters.
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