Safety should always be at the forefront – whether in the fabrication shop or on the jobsite. Manufacturers continue to develop products that not only make handling slabs and other large stone pieces safer, but also help to increase production and installation efficiency.

In the past two years, Australia had its first reported fatality from silicosis. In response, the Australian government has been advocating for change and protection for fabricators. Silicosis is a form of occupational, non-reversible lung disease caused by inhalation of silica dust over a long period of time. Silica is a highly common, crystal-like mineral found in sand, rock, and quartz. It can have deadly consequences for people who work with stone, tile, concrete, glass, or other forms of rock.

The New Wilson Heavy Duty Plunge Cut Saw is becoming a favorite among Wilson Industrial’s limestone customers. It has double the horsepower of the company’s regular heavy-duty saw and a new drive system that is proving to be a beast at cutting stone.

How important is leadership? Time and time again, I’ve seen teams that were once high performing —a generating best-in-class results — fail under new leadership. Same team, yet dramatically different results. Why?

The threat of silica exposure is not a new story. However, these reports are a strong reminder that stone companies must be diligent about reducing the risks to workers. The Natural Stone Institute recommends the following.

The 2020 edition of the Xiamen Stone Fair marks the exhibition’s 20th anniversary, and it is planning a series of special events to celebrate. Show management is requesting past attendees to send in photos of their favorite show memories from previous years. Those that are selected will be used in the show’s anniversary promotions.

This Stone of the Month is supplied by Brothers in Granite. Technical details provide a frame of reference only. Because stone is a product of nature, testing to determine specific physical qualities should be repeated for each project.

This Stone of the Month is supplied by Marmi Orobici Graniti S.p.A. Technical details provide a frame of reference only. Because stone is a product of nature, testing to determine specific physical qualities should be repeated for each project.

Brembana Formax BT is the state-of-the-art automated high-production sawing line that is available in the stone market today. This line begins with a tilting table to receive the slabs to be processed.

Soon the Mandalay Bay Convention in Las Vegas, NV, will be lined once again with seemingly endless displays of stone, tile and flooring materials, as well as machinery, tooling and other products related to these industries at the 2020 edition of The International Surface Event (TISE): Surfaces | StonExpo/Marmomac | TileExpo.