K: Schipper: Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest from Radio Stone Update.
There’s further bad news on the silicosis front with engineered stone. Two weeks ago, we reported that an Australian state’s efforts to register and test stone workers for silicosis and other silica-related diseases has referred more than half of them for additional testing. Now, a Spanish study shows that those made ill by dry fabricating engineered stone continue to worsen after they quit working with the material.
The study, entitled artificial stone silicosis rapid progression following exposure cessation, was published in last week’s issue of CHEST®, the official publication of the American College of Chest Physicians.
The study by seven Spanish physicians examined 106 men who worked with engineered stone between 2009 to 2018. The average age of the men was 36, and on average they had worked with the material for a dozen years, with constant exposure to dry cutting.
All showed signs of silicosis upon first examination, with seven having already developed Progressive Massive Fibrosis. All of them quit working with the material after being diagnosed, yet in follow-up examinations done an average of four years later, an additional 33 developed progressive massive fibrosis. All suffered significant loss of lung capacity and the doctors estimate that in a few years a significant number of the study subjects will need lung transplants, which is currently the only effective treatment available for silicosis.
While the study emphasizes the need to maximize protective measures for workers and to find new treatments for silicosis, in an accompanying editorial two doctors from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health write “ if engineering controls cannot limit worker exposure to hazardous concentrations of respirable crystalline silicate, a ban on this material needs to be considered.”
When it comes to tradeshows in 2020, the big question is: Will they or won’t they? And, the answer from Verona, Italy, last week is that the fall’s major stone event is still on for late September, but in a reduced format.Focusing on safety and with a smaller exhibit footprint, Marmomac – scheduled for Sept.30- Oct. 3– is billing itself as Marmomac Re-start and show officials say the goal is to re-launch the natural-stone sector toward a new normal.
The physical show will include exhibits in five indoor halls and three outdoor areas, or approximately half of Veronafiere’s capacity. Marmomac will also offer digital connections for participants unable to attend due to travel restrictions. The show is developing tools to make virtual b-to-b meetings possible.
Veronafiere CEO Giovanni Mantovani says one goal of the show is to start the recovery from Italy, where Marmomac is a leading sector event. However, it’s also likely to be Euro-centric. European Union officials have dropped quarantine requirements for travelers inside the union as well as most other western European countries, but restrictions on travelers coming from outside the Euro-zone -- including Brazil, China and the United States -- show no indication of easing.
As many companies gear up for what they hope is a return to normal, some are making personnel changes. Making further changes to its executive suite, Norcross, Ga.-based Pearlman Group announces the appointment of Mark Simon as vice president of sales and Amy Lutz as director of e-commerce and marketing. Scott McLendon was named the company’s new CEO last month.
Simon will have responsibility for overall sales strategy and all Pearlman Group sales resources. Lutz has been tasked with accelerating the build-out of Pearlman’s omni-channel approach to service customers, and she’ll be responsible for all online and offline marketing strategies, platforms, tools and resources. Pearlman is the owner of such brands as GranQuartz, Regent, Granite City Tool and Pearl Abrasive.
Also, Dan Lyons is the new president of Chicago-based Stone Services Group. Lyons has a background in commercial construction as a general contractor. He will initially focus on the commercial division of SSG as the company seeks to develop into a national organization of countertop installers and templators.
In other changes around the industry, the Italian-based porcelain slab company Laminam is undergoing a makeover of its image and branding. Leading the way is a new logo to complement the company’s corporate identity and communication plan while playing on its past success.
The new visual identity and communication plan was unveiled june sixteenth and is formulated to enhance Laminam’s pioneering outlook and the aesthetic refinement of its collections, says Laminam CEO Alberto Selmi.
The new logo consists of a monogram and the tagline: superior natural surfaces. Selmi adds that the creative process behind the new identify involved much reflection on the company’s origins, values and future. The monogram, particularly, ties the company’s products to the world of style and fashion, rather than the ceramic world.
The new corporate identity is the first step in a series of innovations to be introduced in the coming months. They include the presentation of the company’s new ranges via digital channels – an unprecedented and important expressive medium for Laminam.
Emerson Schwartzkopf: This is Emerson Schwartzkopf from Stone Update. Remember those days – really, just a few months ago – when the big industry news was the huge load of new products from this year’s trade shows? And then … remember any of those products? Remember, uh … trade shows? Normal business hours? Normal anything?
At Stone Update, we think the all those products deserve a better introduction than the first half of this year. All of them get a new chance with the Reset 2020 special edition of Stone Update Magazine, set to go live next week. It’s a collection of surfaces, services, machinery, tooling and more from TISE, KBIS and the planned Coverings 2020 shindig in New Orleans.
Nobody can declare a do-over for the first half of 2020, but we can start fresh for the stretch run to 2021. Keep checking your inbox next week to a link to Reset 2020 from Stone Update Magazine.
K. Schipper: A partnership between a leading company in the Italian furniture industry and a pioneering manufacturer of sintered stone surfaces offers the potential for more beauty in the world, both parties say.
The partnership between Stosa Cucine and Neolith is expected to showcase the two brands’ mutual passion for expert craftsmanship, material excellence and sustainable design. Stosa Cucine was founded in 1964 and has developed a global reputation for the ever-evolving aesthetics in the culinary space. Since its founding in 2009, Neolith officials say they’ve been looking to partner with like-minded architects, design houses and furniture makers to promote a better understanding of sintered stone and its potential.
Stosa Cucine officials say they are impressed with neolith’s balance between form and function. That the material is both eco-friendly and sustainably produced adds to the equation. First up for the new partners: strengthening Neolith Italy’s supply chain.
You probably aren’t really cleaning up right now thanks to the coronavirus, but Pam Rosser, a conservator at The Alamo, spent a long day earlier this month cleaning away bright red spray-painted graffiti from the Alamo Cenotaph in San Antonio. The phrases white supremacy, profit over people and the Alamo were spray-painted on the 1930s monument.
Rosser’s tools of choice included a variety of small brushes and two gallons of graffiti remover. It took several hours and repeated brushings across the approximately 60 square feet of defaced area to return it to its pre-protest level of cleanliness.
Finally, the Natural Stone Institute injects a little good news for the industry. Last week it announced that it has provided natural stone and fabrication services for another home – its 27th – with the Gary Sinise Foundation’s Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment (R.I.S.E.) program. The program builds specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders.
Natural stone and fabrication services for U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant (ret) Matthew Slaydon and his family were provided by Rocky Mountain Stone and Arizona Tile. Sgt. Slaydon was seriously injured in Baghdad in 2007 when he and his team were called to investigate possible improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. An IED exploded two feet in front of the sergeant, and he subsequently lost part of his left arm and sight in his left eye, among other injuries.
Companies interested in getting involved with future rise projects are encouraged to e-mail pam@naturalstoneinstitute.com.
Remember, you can keep up with all the industry news through our online newsletter, Slab & Sheet. And, check the notes on this episode’s web page for links to everything in this broadcast, including the study published in chest.
I’m K. Schipper for Radio Stone Update, and we’ll see you here again soon.