Stone World articles from October 2006

Stone World archives from October 2006

Getting off to a good start.(Editorial)
October 1, 2006... In order to separate themselves from the competition--which seems to be increasing on a daily basis--many stone fabricators in North America are researching and investing in new stoneworking technology. They are bringing in new equipment and...

Arizona Tile opens new facility in California.(NEWSLINE)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... As the Northern California market continues to grow, Arizona Tile has continued to expand. In an effort to better serve its customers, the company opened a new location in Roseville, CA, on June 19. Open to the public, the new showroom is...

Laticrete founder inducted into CTDA Hall of Fame.(NEWSLINE)
October 1, 2006... Laticrete International founder and chairman emeritus, Dr. Henry M. Rothberg, was inducted into the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA) Hall of Fame on November 9, 2006 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The CTDA Hall of Fame, now in its...

South Florida fabricator enjoys continued success in a crowded market.(NEWSLINE)(Palm Beach Marble)(Company overview)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Located among enviable real estate that is often referred to as "America's playground"--Palm Beach Marble of Riviera Beach, FL, has enjoyed tremendous growth. The company was established by Carlos Castilla, who opened the fabrication shop,...

Booth space at StonExpo East is selling quickly.(NEWSLINE)(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... With the recent launch of StonExpo East in Atlanta, GA, the industry has thrown its support behind this new event. The show, which will be held from March 23 to 25, 2007 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, just completed the...

CaesarStone hires Sagi Cohen as chief operating officer.(NEWSLINE)
October 1, 2006... CaesarStone, a leading manufacturer of quartz surfaces, has hired Sagi Cohen as its new chief operating officer (COO). Cohen will be responsible for managing and directing CaesarStone's operational functions in the U.S. He will also be...

One liners.(NEWSLINE)
October 1, 2006... Jet Edge, Inc., a leading manufacturer of ultra-high-pressure waterjet and abrasivejet systems for precision cutting, surface preparation and hydrodemolition, recently announced that it has appointed Antoine Deproost as its new International...

Statistics.(international trade )(Statistical table)
October 1, 2006... June 2006 | Imports to the U.S. Customers value in dollars does not include insurance or freight GRANITE MARBLE* COUNTRY U.S. $ TONS U.S. $ TONS ALBANIA ...

A display of quartz surfaces.(NEWS)
October 1, 2006... SUN VALLEY, CA -- CaesarStone has built two "million dollar" showrooms designed to reach out to the architects and designers that use its products. The San Leandro, CA, showroom's grand opening is scheduled for Fall 2006, and the Australia...

Staff additions.(NEWS)(Bonsal Co. appoints Shawn King, Ferdinand Muniz and Ken Walden)
October 1, 2006... CHARLOTTE, NC -- Bonsal American[R] has recently added three new hires to its company, including Shawn King as director of marketing/product development, Ferdinand Muniz as international sales manager, and Ken Walden as an area sales manager....

Historic 19th century quarry reopens: Dunnville Cutstone Co., a sandstone quarry in Wisconsin, recently reopened after being out of operation for several decades.(RE-EMERGING U.S. STONE INDUSTRY)
October 1, 2006... Dating back to the late 1800s Dunnville Cutstone Co.'s historic quarry--located on 107 acres of land just 10 miles south of Menomonie, WI--reopened in 2005. The site yields Dunnville sandstone, which is reported to be one of the oldest quarried...

StonExpo returns to Las Vegas: with expectations of another successful showing, StonExpo will once again be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from November 9 to 11, 2006.(StonExpo 2006)
October 1, 2006... StonExpo 2006 is slated to take place from November 9 to 11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. And according to Handley-Wood, the show's owner, this year's event is expecting overwhelming attendance, including 6,000 fabricators, installers,...

Covering a growing market: with a fabrication shop as well as two additional retail locations in Oregon, Bennett Stone & Tile Co. has developed a solid business by covering different sectors of the building industry.(Fabricator Case Study)
October 1, 2006... When Jeffrey Bennett was in college, little did he realize that a meeting at a placement center on campus would indirectly lead him to own a successful stone fabrication and distribution business. Sixteen years ago, Bennett opened up shop with...

Taking production by the hand: Artisan Stone Co. in Denver, CO, relies on skilled workers to handcraft finished stone countertops.(Fabricator Case Study)
October 1, 2006... When a group of four entrepreneurs got together to form Artisan Stone Co. in Denver, CO, they decided that their initial investments would place an emphasis on people rather than machinery. Now in its second year of operation, a solid business...

Setting a high standard: with its main production facility in Beltsville, MD, and two additional branches in Virginia, Artelye Marble & Granite has placed an emphasis on quality as it continues to grow.(Fabricator Case Study)
October 1, 2006... Walking through Artelye Marble & Granite's main facility in Beltsville, MD, overhead signs within the shop boldly display three words: "Service," "Quality" and "Craftsmanship." And upon closer examination of the operation, it is clear that...

Moving beyond standard countertops: based on the motto "Completely ... out of the box," Estate Granite & Marble of Redding, CA, prides itself on creating unique stone applications using light, water and fire.(Fabricator Case Study)(Estate Granite & Marble)(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... Estate Granite & Marble, a full fledged stone and tile design and installation company, currently fabricates and installs an average of six to nine kitchens per week out of its 13,500-square-foot facility in Redding, CA. The company, founded by...

Finding a niche in prefabricated countertops: with a large facility in Richmond, VA, and another site being launched soon in Mobile, AL, River City Granite has capitalized on a specialty market.(Fabricator Case Study)
October 1, 2006... Based in Richmond, VA, Bob Rogers of River City Granite has found a specialty within the stone industry that has catapulted his business in only four years. The company, which focuses on selling prefabricated granite countertops, began in...

Understanding the importance of compressed air: more than just hot air, compressed air is the life blood of a stone fabrication shop, and there are many factors to consider when evaluating a compressed air system.
October 1, 2006... Imagine all the things your compressed air does in your shop. It is used to run hand tools, dry the stone, or run your automated equipment. Many times, compressed air gets overlooked and is sometimes the culprit of costly downtime. ...

Sink installation techniques: in this online stone Fabricators Forum--conducted at www.StoneAdvice.com--stoneworking professionals from around the country discuss their methods for installing sinks in conjunction with stone countertops.(ONLINE FORUM)(Discussion)
October 1, 2006... What are some of the issues you're seeing with regard to installing sinks in your kitchen countertop jobs? What are the most common obstacles you're seeing in the field, and how are you solving these problems? Are there specialized products...

Sink installation product roundup: suppliers around the country are offering a broad range of sink installation products to help countertop installation crews in the field.
October 1, 2006... With stone fabrication shops responsible for installing more granite counters with undermounted sinks than ever before, suppliers of stoneworking accessories are offering products to assist crews in the field. Ranging from clamps to adhesives,...

Maintaining an image in stone: the InterContinental Hotel and Conference Center in Cleveland, OH, was rebuilt using a variety of natural stone, which was used in a range of unique interior and exterior applications.
October 1, 2006... In addition to adding new medical buildings to the Cleveland Clinical Foundation's campus, the owners recently decided to reconstruct the clinic's hotel facility as well. The 450,000-square-foot facility--formally named the InterContinental...

Indiana limestone unifies medical campus: an extensive renovation and expansion of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center--Louis J. Stokes Medical Center in Cleveland, OH, prominently features Indiana limestone in a range of exterior and interior applications.(Exterior Stonework)
October 1, 2006... The lavish use of Indiana limestone throughout several newly built structures on the campus of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center--Louis J. Stokes Medical Center in Cleveland, OH, provides a clean uniform look for the facility. The material...

Stone provides a centerpiece for Missouri preserve: the Sinquefield House in Osage County, MO, is connected to the surrounding environment through the use of Tennessee Mossy Stacker stone, and the quality of the stonework earned a Tucker Award from the Building Stone Institute.(Exterior Stonework)
October 1, 2006... Situated on a wooded limestone bluff overlooking the Osage River in the rolling Ozarks of Missouri, Sinquefield House is the first project in a series of developments to establish a rural retreat, conference center and ecological preserve. Set...

Rubble stone facelift connects addition to campus: the renovation and expansion of the new Unified Science Center at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, involved a detail matching to the stonework present on campus.(Exterior Stonework)
October 1, 2006... Over the years, three buildings on the campus of Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, had received additions with poor stone matches. To rectify this matter, the Hamilton College Director of Physical Plant, Steve Bellona, during negotiations with...

New technology for fragile stone blocks: thanks to new developments in the stoneworking field, Savema of Pietrasanta, Italy, is processing finished slabs from fragile blocks of marble, onyx, granite and other stone materials.(Slab Production)
October 1, 2006... Since its foundation in 1975, Savema S.p.A. of Pietrasanta, Italy, has developed into a leading stone producer in the international marketplace, and it has introduced a number of stoneworking innovations over the past three decades. One of the...

Slab processing in the heart of Italy's travertine region: Aretina Marmi srl of Lucignano, Arezzo, Italy, produces travertine slabs on a state-of-the-art processing line.(Slab Production)
October 1, 2006... Located near the famed travertine quarries of Italy and the medieval city center of Lucignano--which is defined by its classic travertine architecture--Aretina Marmi srl has developed a state-of-the-art facility for processing travertine slabs,...

State-of-the-art plant is established for granite slabs: ISG Graniti, S.p.A. of Ortonovo, Italy--a division of the Adolfi Forti Marmi Group--specializes in processing granite slabs using advanced stoneworking machinery.(Slab Production)
October 1, 2006... Based in Carrara, Italy, the Adolfi Forti Marmi Group has a broad range of divisions, including facilities for cut-to-size architectural stonework as well as operations for producing tiles and slabs. One of these divisions--ISG Graniti,...

Robotic slab line is installed in Italy: Rossi Graniti has implemented a new 14-head slab processing line at its facility in Ardenno, Sondrino, Italy, that can be operated by a single part-time worker.(Slab Production)
October 1, 2006... Representing some of the latest slab processing capabilities, Rossi Graniti of Ardenno, Sondrino, Italy, has invested in a new slab polishing line that has been engineered to run with an optimum level of automation and efficiency. ...

Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott: in this Stone World roundtable, veteran architects from Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott of Boston, MA, discuss their experiences using natural stone in their work.(ARCHITECTS ROUNDTABLE)(Interview)(Cover story)
October 1, 2006... Founded in 1874 by renowned American architect Henry Hobson Richardson, Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott (SBRA) is one of the oldest continuously practicing architectural firms in the nation and the oldest in Boston, MA. Today, the...

Calendar.(Calendar)
October 1, 2006... October 19 to 21, 2006 Source Expo Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV. Contact by phone in the U.S. 1-866-721-3535, outside the U.S. 307 282-4760. October 23 to 26, 2006 Stone World's Stone Fabrication...

Walker Zanger.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2006... Walker Zanger is proud to unveil the latest addition to its Bathroom Vanity Collection--the distinctive Paradigm washstand. With a clean, exquisite profile that harkens to the tenets established by LeCorbusier and Mies van der Rohe, it helps...

Gem Surfaces[TM].(NEW PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Gem Surfaces[TM] offers high-quality precious gemstone slabs. Surfaces are suitable for lining palaces, castles, museums, luxury hotels, or for those seeking the most exotic stone slabs available. Gem Surfaces[TM] also offers a line of...

Moraware.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2006... Moraware has released the JobTracker Standard Edition, which provides an affordable solution for subcontractors who want to eliminate the time they waste scheduling and looking for paperwork. JobTracker Standard Edition uses a simple...

Bonsal[R] B-6000.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2006... Bonsal[R] B-6000, an advanced polymer-based technology that covers both waterproofing and crack isolation needs, has been introduced by Bonsal American. Features and benefits include: * Eliminates the conditions that promote mold and...

Marmoelettromecannica.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
October 1, 2006... The combination of Frangistone, Zenith, Bi-Power and Longlife wheels allows Marmoelettromecannica to offer the perfect system for any CNC machine. This system will allow you to produce the perfect edge with no touch up work, the company...

Kaeser Compressors.(NEW EQUIPMENT)(SmartPipe)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Kaeser Compressors now offers a new modular, aluminum compressed air distribution system--SmartPipe[TM]. Made from smooth, calibrated aluminum with a low friction coefficient, SmartPipe provides the best possible flow and will not rust or...

Park Industries.(NEW EQUIPMENT)(Park Industries Inc. (Manchester, Tennessee))(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The Park Industries Python II traveling bridge saw is extremely simple to operate, the company reports. The simple touch-screen interface allows operators to program the saw with no previous computer control or software experience. The program...

Marmo Machinery USA.(NEW LITERATURE)(Marmo Meccanica USA introduces CNC and Water Jet Machines)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Marmo Machinery USA announces the publication of a brochure entitled "CNC and Water Jet Machines," featuring descriptions and photographs of their latest CNC and waterjet units. The brochure outlines the functioning of each machine while...

Kaeser Compressors.(NEW LITERATURE)(Kaeser Compressors Inc.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Kaeser Compressors is pleased to announce its new Interactive Air System Maintenance CD, which details common maintenance functions for rotary screw compressors, refrigerated and desiccant dryers, filters and drains. The CD is ideal for both...

Stone of the month correction.(Correction notice)
October 1, 2006... Due to a production error, the wrong image was depicted as Oro Fino granite in the September 2006 issue of Stone World. On this page, Oro Fino granite from Granitex S.p.A. of Verona, Italy, properly appears on the right, while Kasota Valley...

Ouro brasil granite.(Stone of the month)
October 1, 2006... This Stone of the Month supplied by Marmi Bruno Zanet, Volargne, Verona, Italy. 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...

Thibaut.(Machine of the month)
October 1, 2006... With the T108 Automatic, followed by the T818 B, the T818 Access, the T58 and the CNC sawing machines, Thibaut of France has made great strides to become a key provider of computerized machinery. The company's goal is to develop machinery that...