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The move toward technological investments has turned Select Granite, Inc. of Pelham, AL, into a complete design center. Its machinery, especially its most recent investment, a dual-table Northwood SawJet from Northwood Machine Manufacturing Co. of Louisville, KY, has made a huge difference with production, according to General Manager Scott Spector. “It took the shop away from an analog type of operation where you’re using a tape measure,” he explained. “It digitized everything, and eliminated most of the mundane errors that used to occur.”
With a background in commercial real estate, Michael and Suzanne Flanagan started Select Granite, Inc. in 2002 with a 5,000-square-foot facility in Pelham, AL. Today, the company is also marketing itself as Design Center South, and company growth has led the owners to acquire 6 acres of land with a stoneworking facility now measuring nearly 20,000 square feet. Among the machinery investments, the addition of a dual-table Northwood SawJet from Northwood Machine Manufacturing Co. of Louisville, KY, has specifically changed the face of its business, according to Scott Spector, General Manager of Select Granite, Inc.
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The SawJet has additionally allowed the company to yield stone quicker and better, and reduce waste significantly.
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The Northwood SawJet utilizes a waterjet pump and cutting nozzle from KMT Waterjet Systems of Baxter Springs, KS.
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A Northwood CNC stoneworking center is also in place at the shop for edging and profiling.
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Slabs are cut in the shop using a GMM Eura 35 bridge saw, which is manufactured in Italy and supplied through Salem Stone of Winston-Salem, NC.
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Edging is also completed with the help of a Montresor 400 edger, which is made in Italy and supplied through Salem Stone.
Select Granite plans to add a second Northwood CNC stoneworking center. “The gains realized with two CNCs allow for even more throughput,” said Spector.
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Of the slab work done in the shop, 80 to 85% is granite, with a half of that amount being exotics, and 15 to 17% is quartz.
At its peak, the shop will have 15 workers, while 12 to 15 is the standard. The company also has two to three of its own installation crews.
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Select Granite, Inc. now also markets itself as Design Center South.
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The company considers its facility a one-stop shop where customers can design projects such as their kitchen into its entirety, including cabinetry.
The company relies on clientele from what Spector calls a relationship market. “It’s all about who you know, who you fish with, who you go to the symphony with and so on,” he said.
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Select Granite, Inc. has designated 4,000 square feet of space for showroom purposes.
Sidebar: Select Granite, Inc.
Pelham, ALType of work:residential production, commercial, hospitality and residential remodel
Machinery:a GMM Eura 35 bridge saw, which is manufactured in Italy and supplied through Salem Stone of Winston-Salem, NC; a CNC stoneworking center and SawJet from Northwood Machine Manufacturing Co. of Louisville, KY, equipped with a pump and nozzle from KMT Waterjet Systems of Baxter Springs, KS; and a Montresor Lola 400 edger, which is made in Italy and supplied through Salem Stone
Number of Employees:10 to 12 in shop
Production Rate:capacity for 2,000 square feet a day