Natural stone and quartz surfaces from the European Union are safe from Airbus-related U.S. tariffs -- for now. Also KBIS pulls the plug on its online trade-show floor, and Coverings announced 2021's top tile trends.
This edition of Radio Stone Update is sponsored by Quantra, manufacturers of the world’s toughest, most beautiful quartz surfaces made with up-to-the-minute Italian technology… in yet another brand new state-of-the-art factory. http://www.quantra.in
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.
Natural stone and quartz surfaces from the European Union are safe from Airbus-related U.S. tariffs -- for now. Also KBIS pulls the plug on its online trade-show floor, and Coverings announced 2021's top tile trends.
This edition of Radio Stone Update is sponsored by Quantra, manufacturers of the world’s toughest, most beautiful quartz surfaces made with up-to-the-minute Italian technology… in yet another brand new state-of-the-art factory. http://www.quantra.in
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.
K. SCHIPPER: Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest from Radio Stone Update
Tariffs have been an on-going battle for the stone industry, but European producers of natural stone and quartz surfaces have caught a break from President Joe Biden. Their products are off the active “Airbus tariff” list – at least for now.
On Feb. 11, the U.S. Trade Representative – the USTR – published a notice in the Federal Register freezing the Section 301 tariff list after its latest revision in early January. The tariffs are the result of a long-standing dispute between the U.S. and European countries over development of large civil aircraft. In the notice, it was stated the USTR will continue to consider the action taken in this investigation.
The controversy dates back to late 2004, when U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co., urged the federal government to complain to the World Trade Organization over what it saw as subsidies by France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom to Airbus Industrie for developing certain types of airliners.
The original list of products that could be subject to tariffs of 100%, drawn up during the Trump Administration in 2019, included quartz surfaces and all dimensional natural stone except marble. None of the materials went on the active list of products subject to tariffs, however. Most of the products on the latest revised list include food and apparel items which will be subject to a 25% tariff.
Organizers of the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show – KBIS – were forced to pull the plug on this year’s online tradeshow floor due to what show producer Emerald called “unresolvable technical difficulties.”
In making the announcement, Emerald executive vice president Brian Pagel says, “The servers that house the platform are down, requiring that we make the difficult decision to close access to the exhibitor booths.”
The virtual exhibit hall for the International Builders Show – the IBS – held concurrently with KBIS and also produced by Emerald didn’t open, either. However other activities at KBIS, including educational sessions and other programming were unaffected. They included the National Kitchen and Bath Association – NKBA –Voices from the Industry conference and Design + Industry Awards event, as well as the KBIS NeXT Stage and Pavilions programming.
NKBA and KBIS also announced that they are investigating alternative solutions to allow the exhibitor experience to be relaunched, although no timeframe was mentioned. Originally scheduled as an in-person event for Feb. 9-12 in Orlando, Fla., plans to move the event online were revealed back in October. KBIS 2022 is scheduled for next Feb. 8-10 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
As part of National Tile Day – celebrated Feb. 23, in case you missed it – Coverings announced the 2021 tile trends as forecast by three leading international tile associations. The three, Ceramics of Italy, Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association of Spain and Tile Council of North America, are also sponsors of Coverings. They presented this year’s top tile trends during a Tile Day Coverings Connected webinar.
Of particular note to those in the hard surfaces industry are high gloss looks, large scale veining and extra-large ceramic tiles. The high gloss look is in demand for surfaces that have to be cleaned often. The large-scale veining suggests that marble-look designs are evolving, with some having few wide veins and others having more angular looks. And, the extra-large ceramic tiles refers to sizes up to 5.25' by 10.5 ' and in thicknesses ranging from 3.5mm to 2cm. Also seen as gaining in popularity are concrete-look tiles with complex laying schemes.
All the top tile, stone and design trends will be on display at Coverings 2021, which will be held July 7-9 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
While some industry tradeshows have suffered through the past year, StoneCash, a B2B multi-vendor marketplace and trading platform for the stone industry will host another online fair next week. The third SmartFair in less than a year will be open for business March 3-5.
Completely dedicated to stone, machinery, tools, services and design companies, the fair follows on the success of the two previous editions in 2020, which drew more than 32,000 visitors and more than 200 exhibitors.
The goal of SmartFair 2021 remains the same: helping professionals execute their business plans smartly in a time of limited business travel and social distancing. Previous editions have included trading systems, online showrooms and an intuitive virtual map that allows visitors to move around the fair and visit exhibitor stands. The newest version also will include the introduction of an extensive online agenda with streaming interviews, seminars and more.
However, interaction is still a central point. Visitors can meet with exhibitors using personalized video meeting rooms and instant messaging with end-to-end fully encrypted technology that guarantees privacy. An ambitious 24-hour service enables companies from every time zone to get in touch with each other whenever they prefer. For more information, go to www.smartfair.live/
In other news from around the industry….
The Natural Stone Institute salutes some of the top work in natural stone during the past year in announcing the winners of the 2020 Pinnacle Awards. Awards are given in several different categories, including Public Landscapes/ Parks/ Memorials; Commercial Interiors; Architectural Carving/ Lettering/ Sculpture; Renovation/ Restoration; Commercial Exterior; and Residential-Single Family, with multiple winners in each category. Award winners will be celebrated at a ceremony during TISE in Las Vegas on June 16, when the Grande Pinnacle Award will also be announced.
Knoxville, Tenn.-based BB Industries announces it will open a large fulfillment center in Salt Lake City in mid-April to better serve 13 western states with guaranteed two-day delivery. The Utah facility will be a full-service operation just like the BBI headquarters. With the increased demand for direct shipping, some deliveries have been delayed up to a week, and CEO Rick Stimac says the company wants to ensure its delivery expectations are being met.
While school districts nationwide wrestle with the question, the National Tile Contractors Association – the NTCA – announces that it will resume in-person training sessions starting in March. The first non-Zoom session will be held March 10 at Virginia Tile in Brooklyn Heights, Ohio. Jim Olson, NTCA assistant executive director, says the association is excited to be heading back on the road with its seminars and workshops, which will be operated under NTCA coronavirus safety protocols.
The Natural Stone Institute and Stone World will continue the Virtual Stone Summit series through this spring, with one session per month. Upcoming programs include There’s Something About Quartzite; Estimating for Profitability and Theories in Templating. All sessions begin at 11 a.m. Eastern Time and run for approximately 90 minutes, followed by a virtual tradeshow. For more information go to www.naturalstoneinstititue.org
Remember, you’ll also find the latest in industry news in our online newsletter, Slab and Sheet. Looking for the latest in industry import figures? Turn to Hard Surface Report at www.hardsurfacereport.com. And, for the notes on this episode and a full transcript, Radio Stone Update now has its own website: www.radiostoneupdate.com.
I’m K. Schipper for Radio Stone Update and we’ll see you here again soon.