Stone World articles from February 2006

Stone World archives from February 2006

Brazil's exploding granite industry.(STONE COLUMN)
February 1, 2006... It is no secret that the Brazilian granite industry has grown tremendously over the course of the last decade. In the early 1990s, Brazilian granite suppliers began seriously marketing material to the American market, and exports of granite...

StonExpo 2006 dates change to November 9 to 11.(NEWSLINE)
February 1, 2006... StonExpo 2006 will now take place from November 9 to 11, 2006 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. According to Michelle Troop, Senior Show Director of StonExpo, plans for this year's show are well under way. "We've never seen...

International Grante & Marble (IGM) announces expansion.(NEWSLINE)
February 1, 2006... Recently, International Granite & Marble Corp. (IGM) conducted its annual managers meeting in North Bergen, NJ. Management confirmed that the company has had another successful year and that it is pleased with its current operations. Also...

VIC Intl. to host first MIA advanced countertop seminar in March.(Marble Institute of America)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The Marble Institute of America (MIA) will hold the first of three advanced residential countertop sales and production seminars in Knoxville, TN, from March 2 to 3, 2006. The event is a combination of classroom instruction coupled with...

Coverings 2006 registration is open.
February 1, 2006... Coverings has announced that registration is open for the 2006 event, which is set to take place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, from April 4 to 7. In addition to admission to the exhibition, registration entitles...

Airplane pilot moves into stone fabrication.(NEWSLINE)
February 1, 2006... Victor DeOliveira, President & CEO of Discover Marble & Granite in Millbury, MA, and Fort Myers, FL, was an airplane pilot before he decided to go into the fabrication business four years ago, and he hasn't looked back since. At the present...

One liners.(NEWSLINE)
February 1, 2006... As an addendum to the 2006 Stone Guide published in December of 2005, Park Industries has announced that it supplies machinery in the following categories: Block Saws, Bridge Saws, Edge Polishing, Gangsaws, Quarrying, Splitting and CNC. The...

Statistics.(stone industry imports)(Illustration)
February 1, 2006... October 2005 | Imports to the U.S. Customers value in dollars does not include insurance or freight GRANITE MARBLE* COUNTRY U.S. $ TONS U.S. $ TONS ANTIGUA ...

Computerized stone distribution.(NEWS)
February 1, 2006... WESTWOOD, MA -- Using advanced computer technology, Marble & Granite, Inc. has maintained optimum control of its operation, which includes two warehouses and over 300 varieties of stone. The Prophet 21 system is in place at the company's...

Company expansion.(IGE Solutions Inc)
February 1, 2006... JUPITER, FL -- On October 1, 2005, IGE Solutions, Inc. relocated to its new, state-of-the-art facility, which will allow the company to continue its growth and to meet new opportunities. This new, much larger office is just a few blocks away...

Employee promotion.(Sheldon Prom appointed to Komo Machine Inc)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... SAUK RAPIDS, MN -- Komo Machine Inc. recently announced that Sheldon Prom has been promoted to International Sales Manager. Prom has been with Komo Machine, Inc. for a year and a half and has quickly learned the company and the market to...

Fine-tuning a state-of-the-art operation: when expanding into stone fabrication, the owner of Down East Fabrication in Mechanicsburg, PA, invested in high-quality equipment and has taken measures to improve upon production efficiency.
February 1, 2006... Safety and efficiency were top priorities when Gary Smith of Down East Fabrication opened his stoneworking facility in 2002. As an experienced solid surface fabricator/installer and an Authorized Zodiaq[R] Installer (AZI), Smith made the...

A showcase of Brazilian stone in Vitoria: the International Marble & Granite Fair in Vitoria, Brazil, has become a major international trade event, where companies from Brazil and around the world display their latest product offerings.(Report from Latin America)
February 1, 2006... Having drawn nearly 29,000 visitors last year, the International Marble & Granite Fair in Vitoria, Brazil, has steadily grown in international importance. The event is set to take place from February 14 to 17 at the Carapina Pavilion in...

Latin America by the numbers: Brazil and Mexico are clearly the leaders among stone producers in Latin America, although other countries from the region are making inroads in the U.S. marketplace.(Report from Latin America)
February 1, 2006... The unprecedented growth of the U.S. stone industry--particularly stone imports--has been a boon for producers in Latin America. Brazilian granite and Mexican marble and limestone have been at the forefront of this trend, but materials are...

New robot tile line bolsters Durango Stone production: World Wide Stone Corp. is now operating a new state-of-the-art robot tile line for Durango Stone[TM] at its facility in Durango, Mexico, which is expected to triple the company's capacity for tile production.(Report from Latin America)
February 1, 2006... Adding to its already impressive collection of equipment, World Wide Stone Corp. recently invested in a new state-of-the-art robotic tile line. The line was installed in at the company's factories in Durango, Mexico, in November of last year...

Brazilian supplier focuses on the U.S. marketplace: Tracomal Mineracao S.A. has made extensive upgrades to its operation, and it continues to expand as a major slab supplier to the U.S. market.(Report from Latin America)
February 1, 2006... Since its foundation in 1994, Tracomal Mineracao S.A. has steadily grown as a quarrier and processor of Brazilian stone products. Today, the company continues to grow and expand, and it is among the leading suppliers of granite slabs to the...

Continued machinery investments for Brazilian producer: already established as a major exporter of Brazilian granite, Thor Granitos continues to add new technology to its operation.(Report from Latin America)
February 1, 2006... Based in Itaborai, Rio di Janeiro, Brazil, Thor Granitos has been in business for 25 years and has grown from a domestic supplier to a major exporter with markets around the world--including the U.S. marketplace. Over the past few years, the...

Reconfiguring stone architecture: in updating the design of the John M. Olin Library on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis, MO, the design team reworked the existing Missouri Red granite facade to allow more light into the building.(RENOVATION AND RESTORATION)
February 1, 2006... While the John M. Olin Library at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, was the sixth building project that Kallmann McKinnell & Wood Architects had completed on campus, the firm's approach to the renovation and expansion of the building was...

Restoration secures chapel at Ivy League campus: the two-phased restoration of the exterior stonework at the Princeton University Chapel involved the replacement of some sandstone and limestone to match existing materials.(RENOVATION AND RESTORATION)
February 1, 2006... Comprised of Pennsylvania sandstone and Indiana limestone, the Princeton University Chapel, located in Princeton, NJ, was originally designed by the noted Gothic Revival architect Ralph Adams Cram during the mid-1920s. Decades of exposure to...

New York Courthouse restoration draws high praise: the renovation and restoration of New York's Tweed Courthouse was deemed a great success, as the project was honored with a Tucker Award from the Building Stone Institute upon its completion.(RENOVATION AND RESTORATION)
February 1, 2006... The Old New York County Courthouse, better known as Tweed Courthouse, is one of New York City's greatest civic monuments. Located at 52 Chambers Street at the corner of Broadway, it is at the north end of City Hall Park, the only building other...

A living model of stone architecture: clad in White Danby marble, the Knowlton School of Architecture at the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, OH, provides an example of innovative stonework for its students.(RENOVATION AND RESTORATION)
February 1, 2006... Comprised of 168,000 square feet of space, the Knowlton School of Architecture at the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, OH, is clad in White Danby marble from Vermont Quarries Corp. of Rutland, VT. The building's renovation was made...

Natural stone defines library expansion: the Arcadia University Landman Library in Glenside, PA, was recently renovated and expanded to include a variety of natural stone materials.(RENOVATION AND RESTORATION)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2006... The overall design for the renovation and expansion of Arcadia University's Landman Library in Glenside, PA, came about as the result of an architectural competition staged by the school. The new library features extensive use of stonework for...

New from Braxton-Bragg: stainless steel undermount sinks.(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... Braxton-Bragg is very excited to offer our customers one more reason to buy fabrication supplies from only one place! We have searched far and wide to find a superb quality, superbly designed, durable and stylish sink. These new sinks could...

Concentrating on the countertop market: branching off of a pre-existing company, Exquisite Stone now serves as a full fabrication shop, with an emphasis on countertops and vanity tops for both the residential and commercial sectors.(Fabricator Case Study)
February 1, 2006... Exquisite Stone fabricates granite, marble, soapstone and quartz surfacing out of its 6,000-square-foot facility in Elk River, MN, which includes the fabrication shop, an office and a showroom. According to owner Lance Van Norman, he...

Italian fabricator finds passion in the U.S.: after growing up surrounded by a family-owned granite business, Italian fabricator Primo Danti started his own company, Danti Imports, years following his arrival to the U.S.(Fabricator Case Study)
February 1, 2006... When Primo Danti left Italy 20 years ago, he took with him a strong knowledge of the stone industry, which he gained from his family's granite business. He now runs his own operation, Danti Imports, a granite and marble company for the...

Eliminating the second shift: by investing in new equipment and facilities, Designer Stone Center of Houston, TX, was able to remove its second shift while maintaining the same production level--with room for expansion.(Designer Stone Center of Houston)
February 1, 2006... In 2004, Designer Stone Center of Houston, TX, saw annual business grow from $3 million to $6 million, and to accommodate the increased business, the company was running two 10-hour shifts to manufacture some 36 kitchens a week. To offset this...

A range of sinks to complete the countertop installation: to serve as an end-all solution for customers, many companies in the stone industry are now carrying a wide variety of stainless steel sinks as well as sinks in other materials.
February 1, 2006... Various companies in the stone industry are now distributing stainless steel sinks in order to serve as an end-all solution for consumers, allowing these clients to purchase a stone countertop and a complementary sink in one stop. This...

Another success expected for Coverings 2006: with a 10% increase in attendance last year, show management anticipates a repeat hit for the upcoming international tile and stone exhibition.(Natural stone exhibitions)
February 1, 2006... Coverings 2006 is scheduled to take place from Tuesday, April 4 to Friday, April 7, 2006 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. And building on last year's success, the international tile and stone exhibition is expected to once...

Limestone is a common thread for Texas village: Frisco Square in Frisco, TX, one of the largest mixed-use developments in the country, features a variety of buildings clad in native limestone.(limestone projects)
February 1, 2006... Designed by world-renowned architect David M. Schwarz to be the ultimate pedestrian community, Frisco Square in Frisco, TX, offers approximately 1.9 million square feet of office space, 550,000 square of retail/restaurant space and 1.6 million...

Installing mosaics: success with a sometimes challenging art form.(usage of mosaics )
February 1, 2006... Creative, colorful and eye-catching, mosaic patterns are showing up everywhere--from backsplashes to borders and from showers to swimming pools. Mosaics are intricate designs or patterns made up of small tiles (2 x 2 inches or less) or pieces...

Canadian granite adds high-quality look to office design: Cambrian Black granite, quarried by Polycor Inc. of Quebec, Canada, creates a sleek look for the newly built Meritz Tower in Seoul, Korea.
February 1, 2006... What is the role of a tall building in an urban environment? It is a question that all architects must consider. The impact of a new major building has eternal implications for the surrounding area, and the process of building and designing...

Calendar.(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... March 1 to 5, 2006 Building Stone Institute (BSI) Convention, San Diego, CA. For more information, contact BSI, 300 Park Blvd., Suite 335, Itasca, IL 60143; Phone: 630-775-9130; Fax: 630-775-9134; or Web site:...

Granite City Tool.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
February 1, 2006... Granite City Tool's heating strips are designed to solve the problem of uneven seams. The product helps users avoid grinding and re-polishing the uneven seam, which can take hours. Silicon rubber heating strips will heat up the seam to 428...

Thibaut.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
February 1, 2006... Thibaut has recently introduced the T 818 Access (A) CNC stoneworking center--a synthesis of a 20-year experience in CNC machines, which is equipped with three or four axes. It offers total accessibility to the worktable, with steps...

Ghines.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
February 1, 2006... Ghines is now offering the Sector Triplespeed, an electronic portable shape-milling machine with three rotation speeds. The shaping and polishing process is realized into a number from five to seven phases, depending on the type of material...

Delta Diamond Tools, Inc.(NEW LITERATURE)
February 1, 2006... Delta Diamond Tools, Inc. has recently published an 88-page, 4-color product brochure. The brochure features product descriptions, pictures and prices of the company's tools, including routers, polishing tools, saw blades and tooling for hand...

Pearl Abrasive Co.(NEW LITERATURE)
February 1, 2006... Pearl Abrasive Co. is also distributing a product catalog, which contains a color-coded Table of Contents, featuring the following categories: abrasives, diamonds, and equipment and accessories. The company offers a full line of technologically...

Comandulli.(Machine of the month)
February 1, 2006... The Comandulli Omega 100, Omega 60 and Alma automatic multi-spindle belt polishing machines have been designed and manufactured according to the up-to-date concept and structural principles, the company reports. They can perform all finishing...

Rosa Aurora Classico marble.(Stone of the month)
February 1, 2006... This Stone of the Month supplied by Dimpomar, Vila Vicosa, Portugal. Technical details provide a frame of reference only. Because stone is a product of nature, testing to determine specific physical qualities should be repeated for each...