StoneDimensions

After 50 years in the stone industry, I would like to comment on at least some of the changes I have seen and offer a possible glimpse into the future. Fifty years ago, the stone industry in North America, and the world, was very different than it is today. Almost every quarry had a blacksmith on the premises sharpening steel bits constantly. The monument and stone fabrication plants used steel-shot swing saws and loose grit abrasive polishers. Primitive joint saws with diamond blades were used in Europe whilst North America basically relied on silicon carbide and wire. Big, heavy silicon carbide wheels were mounted on enormous contour grinders to shape the stone.

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As a home design and remodeling company we value our suppliers and we’ve established some great working relationships. I thought it would be helpful if I offered some advice on how stone suppliers can help remodeling companies better serve their clients’ natural stone needs.

Natural stone supply companies sometimes sell directly to consumers, but more often there’s a middle man involved – a contractor, designer, or remodeling company who oversees building projects and helps their clients make important decisions. When it comes to choosing materials, homeowners are faced with hundreds of different decisions and literally thousands of choices for each single material they must pick.

Natural stone suppliers can help consumers by streamlining the decision-making process when it comes to stone slab and tile choices; giving consumers more options that allow them to better work within their budgets; and forming a relationship of trust with the contractors, designers, and remodelers who are working to fulfill a need for their clients.

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By Guest Author Laurie Dunlop - Please forgive me if I don't use the proper vernacular for the stone industry...I am a layman after all. Think of me as your typical customer taking a shop tour.

Ozzy Yilmaz, vice president of operations for Marblex, recently gave a friend and I a personal tour of their stone fabrication factory. He and his team showed us how each piece of equipment worked and explained its benefits. I have to admit, he was so passionate about his work that I was completely fascinated. In fact, I got so immersed in stone fabrication and how this new equipment is revolutionizing the process of custom stone cutting that I came home and gushed about it over dinner that night with my family and was still going on the next morning when I went for a run with a friend. I thought if it was this exciting to me, it would certainly be of interest to others in the stone fabrication industry!

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