The Standard Straight press is listed as a manual machine operated by a crew of three to four people and capable of 400 to 500 blocks in a day. Reaching a target like that depends less on how hard people work and more on how the site is organised. Here is a simple approach.

Design the flow

Think of the site as a one-way line: soil in, blocks out. Place the stations in order so materials and blocks never have to cross back over each other.

1. Soil store and sieving area, close to where the soil arrives.
2. Mixing area with a clean, hard floor, plus cement under cover and a water point.
3. Press station, with the machine firmly mounted on a solid base.
4. Curing yard, in shade, with space to cover and sprinkle blocks.
5. Stacking and dispatch area for cured blocks.

Assign clear roles

With a crew of four, a typical split is:

• One person sieving soil and moving materials.
• One person mixing soil, cement and water to the agreed ratio.
• One person operating the press.
• One person carrying, placing and covering fresh blocks.

Rotate roles at set intervals to share the heavier work and reduce fatigue, and make sure every crew member can do every job.

Prepare before the shift

Have soil sieved, cement counted out and water ready before the press starts. Waiting for materials is the most common cause of lost output.

Set a target and track it

Write the day’s target on a board, count the blocks produced, and record the cement used, soil source and any rejects. Over a few weeks, the log shows your real daily output and highlights problems.

Quality at every station

• Check the mix with the squeeze-and-drop test described in our cement ratio guide.
• Reject broken or deformed blocks straight away.
• Follow the curing routine in curing stabilised soil blocks.

Keep people safe

Provide gloves, boots and dust masks. Keep walkways clear, store cement dry and off the ground, and make sure the press is stable. Cement is caustic, so wash skin that comes into contact with wet mix.

Plan for rain

Cover soil and cement, and have somewhere sheltered for fresh blocks. A rain day should slow production, not destroy a day’s work.

Planning a new venture? See how to start a block-making business.

• production
• productivity
• site layout