The Natural Stone Institute announces a new annual award for quarriers; Technistone nixes materials for dry fabricators in the U.K.; and Stone Update Editor Emerson Schwartzkopf reports on the Xiamen Stone Fair in China this month.
Radio Stone Update is presented on the first and third Wednesdays every month at 9 a.m. everywhere on Earth with the latest news and insights in hard surfaces. Check our archives at www.radiostoneupdate.com.
The Natural Stone Institute announces a new annual award for quarriers; Technistone nixes materials for dry fabricators in the U.K.; and Stone Update Editor Emerson Schwartzkopf reports on the Xiamen Stone Fair in China this month.
Radio Stone Update is presented on the first and third Wednesdays every month at 9 a.m. everywhere on Earth with the latest news and insights in hard surfaces. Check our archives at www.radiostoneupdate.com.
00:19
K. SCHIPPER: Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest in hard surfaces industry news from Radio Stone Update.
00:29
After honoring projects, fabricators, educators and industry pioneers, the Natural Stone Institute has announced a new industry prize for quarriers.
The Thor Lundh Quarrier Award will recognize NSI members making extraordinary contributions to quarrying natural stone. Nominations for the inaugural award are due May 20.
The award will be presented at either the NSI Study Tour or Marmomac. The jury panel judging the award will include representatives from both the North American Quarry Advocacy Group – the NAQAG -- and the Global Advocacy Group.
Candidates for the award will have demonstrated successful and notable accomplishments throughout a professional career in quarrying natural stone. That includes involvement and dedication to the activities and objectives of quarrying operations in their companies and contributing to furthering the careers of others in the field.
Reid Kubest, NAQAG chair, notes NSI has added several programs to support quarriers and advance natural stone in years past. He adds, “We are thrilled for the inclusion of this new award, which will recognize the individuals responsible for the stone at its source.”
The award is named for Thor Lundh, founder of Lundhs AS, the largest natural stone producer in Northern Europe. Lundh has been instrumental in transitioning quarry operations from manual to industrial production. Today, the company is developing a global brand.
Thor-Anders Lundh Hakestad, CEO of Lundhs, says the company is honored to be able to present the award in close cooperation with the Natural Stone Institute. He says, “The areas of use for natural stone have changed a lot and the ways of extracting have changed completely. With this award we are looking forward to supporting great achievements within the quarrying industry.”
For more information on the Thor Lundh Quarrier Award, go to www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/quarrieraward.
03:46
Franklin, New Jersey-based Alpha Professional Tools® announces it has added two new members to its team.
Long Lai is the company’s new Marketing Coordinator, while Sean Mahoney has been hired to represent the company in the Northeast territory of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, eastern New York, eastern Pennsylvania, and the New England states.
Lai has more than 17 years of experience in tradeshows, events, planning, organizing, designing graphics, social media, and digital marketing. In his former job he managed all aspects of tradeshows, event planning and social media content for his previous employer.
Mahoney comes to Alpha after spending 15 years in the tile industry, beginning as an apprentice and eventually owning and operating his own company. He is familiar with all aspects of a job, from product knowledge to installation to customer service and sales. He can be reached at 973-600-7765 or at smahoney@alpha-tools.com.
04:55
In addressing concerns about crystalline silica in engineered stone, Technistone in the United Kingdom is taking the direct approach: Go wet or go without.
Peter Davies, the UK managing director of Technistone, has released a statement announcing that the company will not supply materials to stonemasons who do not cut the company’s slabs using underwater cutting techniques, the UK stone magazine “Stone Specialist” reports.
Says Davies, “This decision is made in line with our commitment to safety standards within the industry.”
The announcement follows ongoing concerns and the subsequent ban on engineered stone in Australia and restrictions in the U.S., particularly California, regarding the process of manufacturing materials with silica and its impact on human health.
Noting that silica is present in many types of natural stone including granite, sandstone and quartzite, Davies stresses that the health risks arise only in situations where clear, well-publicized rules for working safely with such materials are not respected.
Technistone was founded in the Czech Republic in 1991 and became part of Wilsonart Engineered Surfaces in 2019. The company stresses that it provides basic rules for working with its materials including cutting and polishing materials under water, installing ventilation and vacuuming systems, testing and filtering the air, and using appropriate respiration protection.
The statement concludes by advising companies who distribute Technistone products to make sure they provide the buyers with complete information for working with it safely.
“Only together can we ensure that the beauty of engineered stone continues to please our customers and this quality product reliably serves millions of consumers around the world,” Davies concludes.
06:50
Crystalline silica isn’t the only potentially hazardous product in the shop under the close eye of U.S. regulators. This time, it’s with certain types of adhesives and their chemical components.
Last April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – the EPA – proposed a ban on most uses of methylene chloride, a dangerous chemical known to cause serious health risks and even death.
Since 1980, at least 85 people have died from acute exposure to methylene chloride and others have suffered neurological damage or cancer attributed to exposure to it.
Initially, the chemical was banned in 2019 in consumer products such as aerosol degreasers and brush cleaners for paints and coatings. Now, commercial applications such as adhesives and sealants are under the gun, with a ban starting in June.
Some adhesive manufacturers are already taking proactive measures to adjust their formulations and/or discontinuing products. In any case supply chains are sure to be disrupted, a fact Chemical Concepts announced recently in an email to customers.
The company urged shops concerned about having enough adhesives during the phase-out to consider ordering a six-month to one-year supply to avoid possible problems. Chemical Concepts also offered an online contact form to verify the safety of a product or recommend alternative products if necessary.
Meanwhile, Tenax USA announced that none of its products -- including polyesters, vinyl esters, epoxies, sealers and surface treatments used by fabricators -- contain methylene chloride.
EPA officials say they consulted with OSHA before proposing the phaseout. However, the chemical will continue to be used in some specific processes related to NASA, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Aviation Administration, but under strict controls.
08:44
EMERSON SCHWARTZKOPF: This is Emerson Schwartzkopf, editor of Stone Update. Earlier this month, I traveled to China for the Xiamen Stone Fair, the largest event in the world for this industry. And I know some of you out there have the same question – why go?
Many of the Chinese I met at the show had the same streak of curiosity. Again and again, they asked me: “What is your purpose here?”
Since Stone Update had a booth at the trade show, it’s pretty obvious that I was looking for business. I also gave a short presentation on the U.S. market during the event, to give producers a perspective from our side of the Pacific Ocean.
However, I spent most of my time walking the 21 exhibit halls – yeah, 21 halls -- and I barely made a dent in covering the total space of just a tad more than two million square feet. I put in plenty of miles every day, and I wish I’d done more.
That’s because the Xiamen Stone Fair offers a different window on the world of hard surfaces. You see companies – and customers -- that rarely appear anywhere else.
Some of this involves proximity in the Southeast Asian and Oceania markets. Vietnam and Malaysia were well-represented in hard surfaces, but it didn’t take long to find other surprises, such as natural stone quarried in Australia and Cambodia.
We don’t see quartz surfaces and porcelain panels from China in the United States, due to triple-digit unfair-trade tariffs on the materials. On home turf in Xiamen, however, the Chinese companies producing the man-made hard-surfaces filled two of the smaller exhibit halls and popped up throughout the other stone areas.
Xiamen is one of the few shows that offers a stage to all hard-surfaces, whether quarried or manufactured. Natural stone occupied the majority of the surface exhibition, but all materials had equal status. It’s interesting to note that China’s business association for stone machinery and materials includes man-made surfaces as well as stone cut from quarries.
There’s also a significant change in the customer mix in Xiamen. The overwhelming majority of 140,000 or so attendees are Chinese, but one of the most-prominent groups walking the exhibit halls were Russians.
China doesn’t participate in the sanctions by the European Union and NATO countries arising from the Ukraine-Russian war, making Xiamen an open market for Russian customers. (It should be noted that the same situation now occurs at industry events in India.)
Some longtime observers of the Xiamen show noted that U.S. attendees hasn’t returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, although distinctive American voices could be heard here and there on the show floor.
Even with the 25% Section 301 tariffs placed on nearly every shipment from China to the United States, there’s still a strong bond between the two countries when it comes to natural stone.
Hard-Surface Report, our publication that tracks U.S. stone imports, estimated that China accounted for nearly 18% of the dimensional natural-stone used in the United States last year. That places China in third place for market share, behind Brazil and Turkey.
And, stone from the United States also appeared in the exhibit hall. Coldspring showed off American stone, including its red granites that are particularly popular in overseas market.
This is the second consecutive year I’ve attended the Xiamen Stone Fair, and I’m struck by the sophistication of many of the surface presentations. Attendees of trade shows in the United States think of Chinese goods exhibiting in row after row of 10-foot-square white cubicles.
In China, booths are massive with design and construction that’s comparable – or, frankly, at a higher level – than some from major companies at Coverings or KBIS. There’s a lot of money going into these, and that translates in any language to big business being written on the show floor.
Stone Update had a booth – a small one – at Xiamen. When I explained my purpose for being there to attendees, they nodded in agreement and welcomed me to China.
China is a different place than other trade-show locations. You don’t have to look too hard to see government slogans and information, but that’s miniscule compared to giant electronic billboards pushing luxury fashion lines and all sorts of signs pointing to the nearest McDonalds.
Customs officials don’t search your electronic devices, but there’s a slew of apps and websites you won’t be able to connect to while in China. You won’t be shadowed or followed, but TV cameras cover just about every public space (and that’s something you’ll find in a lot more places than China).
And … no jaywalking. Just take my word for it.
Did I fulfill my purpose there? Yes. There’s much you won’t see anywhere else at the show or in the city, and it continues to give me a different perspective. In today’s world, I find that more valuable than ever.
14:10
K. SCHIPPER: Remember, our electronic newsletter, Slab & Sheet, comes out on alternate Wednesdays. For a transcript of this broadcast, go to www.radiostoneupdate.com. For Radio Stone Update, I’m K. Schipper, and we’ll see you here again soon.