Acer w500 Tablet now shipping with LT-55 XL’s

We have begun shipping Acer’s new w500 tablet with all LT-55 XL’s. Although the Asus T101MT which we have been shipping until now was a very versatile computer, we believe this is a far superior tablet that can offer more speed and ease of use. If you have a previous LT-55 XL with either an Asus or Samsung tablet PC, and would like to upgrade to the Acer w500, you can do so by calling us or visiting out online store and purchasing it here.

Stuart Young is Named Stone World Fabricator Of The Year

Stuart Young was named Fabricator of the Year by Stone World Magazine. This means that the last 7 winners all use the LT-55 or LT-55 XL Laser Templator. We think it says something that when we first launched the LT-55 in 2005, G.K. Naquin of  Stone Interiors won and owns the LT-55. In the 7 years since, every winner has at least 1 Laser Templator, many have multiples.

[Stone World] The 2012 Nominating Committee for Stone World magazine has named Stuart Young of The Granite Shop in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, as Fabricator of the Year. The award was presented at StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2012 in Las Vegas, NV. Criteria for the award is as follows:

• cooperation in sharing technology with the industry
• willingness to pioneer in the use of new technology
• fostering educational programs for the training of stoneworkers in industry methods
• promoting technological progress through association work

In 2004, Stuart Young opened The Granite Shop. In just seven short years, The Granite Shop has become one of the most technologically advanced fabrication facility in North America. Stuart recognized and seized the opportunity of utilizing automation and new technologies in fabricating stone and quartz countertops.

For over the past few years, Young has been dedicated to sharing his stone business experiences with fabricators from all over North America, speaking at the 2009 and 2010 Coverings Show and numerous Park Industries Digital Stoneworking Expos. At these events, he shares his experiences, best practices, failures and financial improvements of converting his shop to a complete digital technology stone countertop production facility within just six short weeks.

Young is eager to share his successes with others in hopes that they will be able to adopt processes into their fabrication business. This is the driving force behind his success in promoting the stone and quartz industry in the marketplace and his charge to “raise the bar” among other stone fabricators in delivering the highest of quality products.

Young is a strong advocate for training. As a MIA member, he was instrumental in convincing the MIA/Stone World Stone Industry Education program to hold is first-ever training event in Canada and enlisted the help of vendors and other fabricators to make the event a huge success. MIA continues to host seminars in Canada as a direct result of Stuart’s advocacy and promotion of the events. In addition, Stuart also works with Southern Alberta Institute of Technology hosting, educating and promoting the stone industry and skilled trades in the Calgary area.

The current roster of winners of the Stone World Fabricator of the Year Award is as follows:

2011 — Stuart Young, The Granite Shop (LT-55 XL)

2010 — Matt Lansing, Stone Innovations (LT-55 XL)

2009 — Scott McGourley, Kasco Stone (LT-55 XL)

2008 — Paul Menninger, Capitol Granite & Marble (LT-55 XL)

2007 — Ron Hannah, Cadenza Granite & Marble (LT-55 XL)

2006 — Dick Laliberte, Ripano Stoneworks (LT-55 XL)

2005 — G.K. Naquin, Stone Interiors (LT-55)

Taking a new career path in fabrication

For retired dairy farmer Marv Stremler, it was a date with his now wife that first introduced him to the stone fabrication business. Intrigued with the process, he later opened his own shop, Creative Stoneworks, in Bellingham, WA, and today, the company primarily services Northwest Washington and lower British Columbia.

“Marv and I were dating in 2003, while I was working at a stone fabrication shop,” explained Ruthi Stremler, who works beside her husband at Creative Stoneworks. “He came to take me to lunch and was given a shop tour. He was very intrigued with the fabrication process of stone. As a retired dairy farmer, Marv was looking for a business that his son, Brandon, could take over when Marv was ready for final retirement.”

With Ruthi’s extensive customer service/retail management experience and Marv’s business sense, the two proved to be a winning match, according to Stremler. “When speaking to local contractors, they didn’t want us to wait until we had a building built on the five-acre parcel of Marv’s. They said they needed a quality fabrication shop now,” she said. “So, we rented a small warehouse space from a contractor, remodeled a job shack trailer for an office and got started as soon as the Park Yukon bridge saw arrived.”

Building the shop

In November 2004 — 16 months after the business initially got started — the new building was completed. “Our approach to getting our name out there was to target contractors and designers,” said Stremler. “Then we would have a ‘bread and butter’ market with repeat customers and happy homeowners to help spread the word.”

Creative Stoneworks operates out of a 9,000-square-foot facility, which includes 2,500 square feet of showroom space. “There is a walk-in sample room and printed canvas bags with our logo for customers to take samples home in,” explained Stremler.”

Among the equipment in the shop is a Yukon bridge saw and Titan CNC stoneworking center — both from Park Industries of St. Cloud, MN; and a Z. Bavelloni CNC stoneworking center. “The Park Titan CNC is our newest CNC, and it has cut down on fabrication time having the two CNCs,” said Stremler.

In the shop, all of the electrical, air and water for fabrication is suspended from above. “Employees aren’t in any standing water because of a central floor drain in the center of the shop,” explained Stremler. “Marv built all the worktables for the crew, and they are on wheels to eliminate carrying any pieces. There is a dry cutting room with a water curtain, so our air quality is excellent. The sludge from the CNCs and the rest of the shop goes into a three-step filtering system so that the water to the storm water retention pond is clean.”

According to Stremler, Washington State has very strict environmental standards. “The pond was a lengthy process in getting our building permit,” she said. “After being in business for five years, we contacted the water environmental department for our county, and asked them to come and test the water. We have healthy frogs and cat-tails in it, so we were not surprised when they told us it was in excellent condition and safe to drink.”

Currently, Creative Stoneworks employs nine shop workers and two office administrators. “We have several long-term employees with a combined total experience of 43 years,” said Stremler. “Creative Stoneworks offers 100% paid medical [insurance], plus they can add dental for a minimal cost. They receive six paid holidays, vacation and a Simple Plan IRA with employer match.”

Installation and templating

Additionally, the company runs an installation crew with two to four workers, depending on the size of the job. “We are very proud of how few seams our customers have and will not hesitate to hire a crane to ease bringing in enormous, seamless pieces, safely,” said Stremler. “We use the Gorilla Grip clamps and Seam Phantom [from NSI Solutions] for beautiful, tight seams.”

The company’s templating employee uses a LT-55 Laser Templator from Laser Products of Romeoville, IL, for templating. “Digital templating has allowed Creative Stoneworks to fly our employee to the San Juan Islands [of Washington State] to measure instead of having him gone the whole day with a vehicle to take the ferry,” said Stremler. “He is picked up at the island’s airport by our customer and returned when he is done. Often, he is back here by noon from an island measure.”

Once the measurements are taken with a LT-55 Laser Templator, vinyl templates are made with a plotter from Allen Datagraph. “This is the ideal material, and our customers are a vital part of the slab layout,” explained Stremler. “We want to insure that the customer is the one to decide what part of the slab is the focal point in their home. We take a picture of the final layout to insure that the pieces are cut accurately, just in case a vinyl piece falls off. The customers seem to love this hands-on experience.”

Stremler added that kitchen countertops are the majority of Creative Stoneworks’ work, but the company has a phrase: “If it’s flat, you can put rock on it.” In addition to kitchen countertops, the company has fabricated “man cave” bars, fireplaces, outdoor kitchens and barbecue tables, yacht interiors, pizza and tandoor oven hearths that have been shipped around the world, wrapped showers complete with stone ceilings, and antique furniture tops. “Our sales topped $1 million our third year, and have grown to $1.4 million with it — holding [at] around $1.1 million with the economy slowdown,” said Stremler.

Marketing its products

The residential market comprises approximately 90% of Creative Stoneworks’ business, while the other 10% is commercial work. “We do supply tile upon request since our slab suppliers in Seattle carry tile, but we refer [customers] to a tile setter,” said Stremler. “We do not install tile. Occasionally, we will fabricate a project from a customer’s stone, but we assume no liability for their stone. We will only purchase premium residential grade slabs.

“In the early years, Marv would do a ‘slab run’ to Seattle — a 225-mile roundtrip — for only a couple of slabs,” Stremler went on to say. “Our customers are sometimes hesitant to drive to Seattle to look at the huge amount of choices, so they are invited to ride with Marv to select slabs. We now purchase several basic stones for our inventory by the bundle and several of our suppliers will deliver to us for free.”

According to Stremler, the company has worked all the way to Northeast Washington and six hours into Canada from word-of-mouth referrals. “This last year, Creative Stoneworks has been able to work in Canada by hiring an installer with dual citizenship as a subcontractor,” she said, adding that the company is located only 10 minutes from the Canadian border. “[Also], we recently started working on yachts in Bellingham’s marina and are doing an increasing amount of work in the San Juan Islands. There is a greater risk when bidding for island projects due to the ferry costs and travel time. There is no room for errors or repeat trips.”

The company does not advertise on the radio or in print, so it likes to ask all of its customers how they heard about Creative Stoneworks. In 2009, the company launched its Web site, which has proven successful. It has also worked within the local community to promote its brand.

“We have done a ‘Spring Fling’ for the last three years in May with our local radio station KGMI,” explained Stremler. “There are seven to nine businesses participating, and the winner of the drawing that is done [at the end of the event] wins a $5,000 shopping spree at those participating businesses. This has been helpful to get people to stop by during the live remote to tour our facility and see what we really do. We also sponsor local school sports teams and animals at our Northwest Washington Fair.”

Moreover, the company has collaborated with the Geology department at Western Washington University (WWU). The department has used samples from Creative Stoneworks’ shop for their mineral identification class. “We have copies of their reports that we can give a customer that chooses one of the stones identified in a report,” said Stremler. “The sludge from the shop is an excellent medium for WWU’s erosion models, also.”

As Creative Stoneworks continues to grow its stone fabrication business, it plans to proceed cautiously. “Growth is not always in sales figures, but a good profit margin that can be shared with the employees,” explained Stremler. “With our current economy, we are grateful to keep our employees working, knowing the growth will be coming at a slower pace. We have the potential for two shifts, and we want to gradually expand into more commercial work. Keeping the profit margin trimmed to land the job means efficiency has to be monitored throughout the entire job, yet still have a customer who is not just satisfied, but thrilled with our work.”

Timing just right for All Granite & Marble

Sunday, February 26, 2012

CHARLTON —  Brazilian immigrant Alecx Santos has come a long way from waiting tables at the IHOP restaurant in Shrewsbury, his first job when he came to the United States as a teenager 20 years ago.

He and his wife, Alcine, have seen their granite countertop company, All Granite & Marble Inc. at 379 Worcester Road, grow into a thriving business, with $3.8 million in annual sales. All Granite & Marble imports, cuts to order, finishes and installs natural and engineered stone for residential and commercial spaces.

Mr. Santos attributes the rapid doubling of sales to building a strong sales force, focusing on customer service and investing in technology. He said when he bought the business in 2007, the market for home sales was weakening, but the demand for renovation supplies, such as the granite kitchen countertops that are his core business, was expanding.

The timing couldn’t be better, Mr. Santos said. The failing economy slowed new home construction, yet gave rise to home retention with renovation. The couple sold several rental properties to purchase the cut stone wholesale company.

As the customer base and sales grew, so did the need for increased production space and processing efficiencies.

The couple purchased the 3-acre parcel that houses the business two years ago for $350,000 and made plans to modernize operations.

All Granite & Marble finished building a 12,000-square-foot processing plant and warehouse late last year, and a 10,000-square-foot showroom and stone-slab display house are expected to be completed next month.

“I’m very happy with the town. The Planning Board and building inspectors were very supportive, and I enjoy working with those guys. I put buildings up in another town, and did not have this support,” Mr. Santos said.

Town Planner Alan I. Gordon said it was a routine site plan approval.

“An old ramshackle building was razed. It’s very impressive with the new buildings, and the operation is very high-tech now,” Mr. Gordon said. “He worked very well with the board regarding design, drainage and parking lot design and landscaping.”

The couple has invested $1.8 million of their money in the buildings to date, and expect to spend another $200,000 to finish the showroom.

“We put those buildings up to make sure we match the newest technology. We are investing in the machines bit by bit,” Mr. Santos said.

About $500,000 of stone working machinery was installed and more is on order.

When finished, Mr. Santos said, the processing plant will be the largest in the Northeast.

The business has been a homecoming of sorts for the couple, as the primary supplier of granite is a quarry in Brazil, followed by quarries in India and Italy.

“Brazil is number one in colors, and has many quarries. We do buy from the United States also, but very little because the color is not very successful,” Mr. Santos said.

Residential kitchen designers and dealers represent about 80 percent of the company’s sales, with granite vanities and countertops as the top sellers.

“We do much more in granite; not much marble is used anymore, and the quartz (engineered stone) is becoming very strong,” Mr. Santos said.

The company employs 28 people, who do everything from sales to installation. When a dealer places an order, they choose from more than 3,000 slabs of in-stock stone.

With the increased efficiencies, Mr. Santos said, the goal is to reduce the company’s order lead time from seven-to-10 business days to five, and increase commercial sales of such products as bank teller stations and hotel reception desks.

LT-55 XL Laser Templator Financing

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Expanding to meet market demand

From its beginning in the early 1980s, Old Castle Surfaces has grown to include six locations around the Southeastern region of the U.S. By continuously investing in its machinery as it expands, the company has been able to tailor its efforts to focus on the various market segments it serves.

Like many other successful companies in the sector, Old Castle Surfaces fabrication business was founded in the garage of its original owner (then known as Custom Surfaces, Inc.). “After growing it into one of the largest fabricators in the U.S., [the original owner] sold it to Old Castle in 2001,” said Mellisa Hill, Vice President of Residential Sales & Marketing. “Steve DeBerardino is currently our president.”

Work done at Old Castles’ facilities include templating, fabricating and installing of granite, quartz, marble, travertine and solid surface materials for residential and commercial applications. “We currently produce 1,500 square feet a day in granite and quartz across all sites,” said Hill. “We could easily double that number if the economy cooperates.”

Stoneworking facilities for Old Castle are located in Atlanta, GA, Savannah, GA, Greenville, SC, Nashville, TN, Birmingham, AL, and Winston-Salem, NC.

 Investments across the Southeast

The Nashville, TN, location was the company’s most recently opened shop. “We expanded into the Nashville market to meet demand for commercial projects and introduce ourselves into a new residential segment that had a limited number of strong fabricators,” said Hill.

This Nashville facility is equipped with an automated bridge saw from Löffler, a CMS/Brembana Maxima CNC stoneworking center, a Flow waterjet, three Loeffler Vario edging machines and an EnviroSystem from Water Treatment Technologies for water recycling.

Prior to the Nashville location expansion, Old Castle Surfaces invested in its Greenville, SC, shop. “We made the Greenville investment to meet the demand in that market for a fabrication shop and to bring the latest equipment available to our fabrication processes,” said Hill.

The Greenville location is equipped with an automated CMS/Brembana Sprint CNC bridge saw, a CMS/Brembana Flexa bridge saw, a CMS/Brembana Maxima CNC stoneworking center, a Luna edging machine from Montresor, a Marmo Meccanica flat-edge polisher and an EnviroSystem from Water Treatment Technologies. “Our Greenville site has an automated fabrication line that requires very little manpower and produces high-quality countertops expected by not only our customers, but ourselves,” said Hill.

Old Castle Surfaces’ other shops also include a range of state-of-the-art fabrication machinery. For instance, its Atlanta shop is equipped with four bridge saws from Marmo Meccanica of Italy, three CMS/Brembana dual-table CNCs, a Flow dual-table waterjet, Vario edge processors from Löffler, a Thibaut radial arm polisher and an EnviroSystem from Water Treatment Technologies. The Savannah shop has two Marmo Meccanica bridge saws, one single-table Flow waterjet, one dual-table CMS/Brembana CNC stoneworking center, a Comandulli automated polisher, a Marmo Meccanica flat-edge polisher and an EnviroSystem from Water Treatment Technologies. The Birmingham facility includes a bridge saw, hand routers for edging and a Thibaut radial arm polisher. And finally, the Winston-Salem location is equipped with a Yukon bridge saw from Park Industries of St. Cloud, MN, a CMS/Brembana Maxima CNC stoneworking center, Vario edging equipment from Löffler and water treatment technology.

All six shops use the LT-55 series for templating from Laser Product Industries of Romeoville, IL, and Moraware JobTracker from Moraware of Reno, NV, to manage inventory and jobs. “This enables us to immediately upload jobs into our scheduling software and reduce lead times,” said Hill.

Across its six locations, new employees at Old Castle go through a training program, and all employees are required to complete safety education on a regular basis. “We have a mentor program for employees that are new to the business to ensure they are producing the level of quality we demand as well as ensure that they are learning all aspects of the job,” said Hill. “We also have an extensive safety training that all employees must complete annually.”

Collectively, the majority of employees are cross-trained, while some are specialized. “We have specialized employees that are in charge of specific functions like programming and running the CNC machines,” said Hill. “The majority of our employees are cross trained on all aspects of the fabrication process to ensure we have needed coverage when spikes occur in the production line.”

Hill continued by explaining that the company’s biggest challenge has been staying diversified to “weather the storm.” “We have always been good about servicing several market segments — commercial, residential and home centers,” she said. “As the economy has turned, we have had to evaluate where our efforts are spent and determine which segment requires the attention to be successful and transition employees to meet that need, while trying to determine the market changes prior to them happening.”

Referencing the company’s mission statement of only employing “the best people that are driven to make Old Castle Surfaces a profitable, world class provider of countertops and surface solutions,” Hill explained that the company additionally transfers its attention according to the marketplace. “We have shifted our focus as needed with the economy in the past few years and have redirected our sales force away from the production builders that once was our primary business to our other segments of the business,” she said. “We plan to continue to develop our teams at all sites and work towards more of a ‘one stop shop.’

Original Article on StoneWorld.com

Today's Homeowner With Danny Lipford

The LT-55 XL Laser Templator was featured on Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford. Their Kuppersmith Project House need new plumbing and wiring because they were outdated, it’s windows leak and the foundation creaks. At the start of the project, it was a 1900-square foot home without central heating or air-conditioning and not a drop of insulation.  Over the next six months, all of that changed and it was transformed into a modern low-maintenance family home.

You can watch the whole series online on Today’s Homeowner, the LT-55 XL is featured on episode 741: Project 6: Interior Trim & Floors and 742: The Kuppersmith Project 7: Yard & Countertops or you can watch just the parts on the LT-55 XL Laser Templator here.

Massachusetts fabricator seizes an opportunity

The roots of TWD Surfaces of Bridgewater, MA, can be traced to 1985, when the company’s president, Ray St. Gelais, began operating as a cabinet maker. Today, TWD Surfaces processes both quartz surfacing and natural stone, and it has capitalized on market changes in the local region to enjoy significant growth despite a down economy.

When the company started as a cabinet maker, it was working on residential kitchens and other furnishings. This evolved into commercial cabinet work, and the company began processing DuPont Corian in the mid-1990s. Ultimately, TWD Surfaces moved into quartz surfacing and stone.

“We saw the market go to hard surfaces, and when DuPont Zodiaq approached us, we knew we had to diversify,” said St. Gelais. “We were doing templating and installation of stone and quartz anyhow, but we were giving up control by not doing the processing.”

In 2007, the company purchased its current building, which has 30,000 square feet of space, and it began fabrication in 2008.

TWD Surface also found an opportunity in the stone business when a local competitor went out of business. “There was a hole in the stone market that we benefitted by when they vacated,” St. Gelais explained. “It was more in the dealer business and builder business.”

Equipment in the facility includes a Destiny CNC stoneworking center, a Yukon II bridge saw, a Fastback edging machine and a Wizard radial arm polisher — all from Park Industries of St. Cloud, MN. Edgework is also processed using a variety of hand routers.

Tooling in the shop is supplied by Granite City Tool of Waite Park, MN, and GranQuartz of Tucker, GA, while material is maneuvered with the help of a Gorbel jib crane equipped with a Manzelli vacuum lifter, also from GranQuartz.

In addition to investing in shop equipment, the move to stoneworking and business growth also means investments in delivery trucks and personnel. “We were able to get local employees from our former competitor,” St. Gelais said. “We hired stone technicians, installers and salespeople, and it really helped our transition into stoneworking.”

Additionally, St. Gelais also delved into stoneworking techniques on a personal level. “I am very hands-on,” he said. “I wanted to know about stone polishing and cutting early on. Our General Manager, Bob Gleason, has a similar background. We had done a lot of research, and we learned from others who expanded [into stone/quartz surfacing]. We’ve been really pleased with what has happened.”

According to St. Gelais, 2009 and 2010 proved to be “growth years” for TWD Surfaces’ hard surface business. Today, approximately 40% of the company’s hard surface business comes from commercial projects, such as hospitals, schools and corporations, and 60% comes from Big Box retailers, kitchen and bath dealers, and builders. “Everything [on the commercial side] is bid, but we have developed good relationships with our clients,” he explained. “A lot of that was built during our days of doing cabinet work.”

For commercial projects, the company can either ship finished pieces, or it can do both the fabrication and the installation, which it does throughout New England. It also installs residential projects as far away as the New Haven, CT, area and New Hampshire.

Striving for excellence

TWD Surfaces has taken a number of initiatives to ensure that its business runs with an optimal level of quality and professionalism. Among them, the company was officially accredited by the Marble Institute of America (MIA) earlier this year. The MIA Accreditation program recognizes companies that meet the industry’s highest standards for business activities, product knowledge, fabrication and installation. To earn MIA Accreditation, a company must complete an intensive, rigorous process that includes documentation of its business and employment practices, letters of recommendation, a written examination and site visits to the facility and completed jobs.

In addition to achieving MIA Accreditation, TWD Surfaces is also a member of the Artisan Group, a national organization of independent fabricators that have joined together to offer the Artisan StoneTM Collection, the first and only brand of granite wholly owned by Artisan Group, which has a comprehensive lifetime warranty. The group also offers Heritage WoodTM countertops and Kohler sinks and faucets.

“We were nominated by Don Hinckley of NBC Solid Surfaces in Vermont,” St. Gelais said of the Artisan Group, adding that they joined the organization at the end of 2009. “Artisan gives credibility to the stone industry. It is a group of reputable businesspeople sharing information and linking best practices at meetings and other events.”

Overall, TWD Surfaces has 33 employees, and the shop is organized for synchronized work flow. “We were schooled on Synchronized Flow from the South Carolina Manufacturers Partnership (SCMEP),” St. Gelais said. “This is one leg of Lean Manufacturing, along with 5S and Value Stream Mapping, which we also incorporated.”

“I took a 12-week course on Lean Manufacturing at the University of Massachusetts,” St. Gelais said. “Part of the process is to use the available manpower you have wherever it is needed. We want people who are cross-trained, and we have been utilizing our people that way. It is sort of how Bill Belichik coaches the New England Patriots; we like people who are ‘utility’ players and can contribute in different ways. We encourage our workers to learn as much as possible.”

This philosophy also carries over to the company’s workers in the field. “We have five trucks on the road with two men in each,” St. Gelais said. “They are installers, but they can also template a job if they are some distance from us, and it needs to be done.” Trucks in use by TWD Surfaces include two Dodge Sprinters and three box trucks.

Templating is done using stick templates as well as LT-55 laser templaters from Laser Products Industries of Romeoville, IL. The templating method depends on the complexity of the project and how it will be fabricated. “We work in different ways to avoid a CNC bottleneck,” St. Gelais said. “There are some things that have to be done on the CNC, but 60% are straight runs.”

The shop itself is set up in a manner similar to an automobile manufacturing plant, with individual work cells for the various steps in the process. “We are also using Moraware [scheduling and job management software],” he said. “We are adding e-pads at each cell where people can clock in and update the progress for each job.”

The company’s total business in 2010 totaled $5.5 million. “Our solid surface business has dipped, but hard surface has grown,” he said. “The majority of our hard surface work is quartz, especially for commercial work. We do Silestone, Zodiaq and CaesarStone. For residential work, the percentage of [natural] stone is higher.”

In assessing the market, St. Gelais acknowledged that his business has defied market conditions. “I am living my five-year plan ahead of schedule,” he said. “They way we are structured, we are in a great position. We are profiting when other people are hurting. We were up 4% in 2009 and 8% in 2010. Commercially, a lot is going to be happening, particularly in quartz. [In terms of new residential construction], we don’t have a builder market in New England right now; it is more remodels. People are keeping their homes until the value comes back.”

TWD Surfaces

Bridgewater, MA

Type of work: residential and commercial fabrication of stone and quartz surfacing, as well as solid surface fabrication

Machinery (for stoneworking): a Destiny CNC stoneworking center, a Yukon II bridge saw, a Fastback edging machine and a Wizard radial arm polisher — all from Park Industries of St. Cloud, MN; tooling from Granite City Tool of Waite Park, MN, and GranQuartz of Tucker, GA; a Gorbel jib crane equipped with a Manzelli vacuum lifter from GranQuartz; an EnviroSystem from Water Treatment Technologies; LT-55 laser templating systems from Laser Products Industries of Romeoville, IL; JobTracker scheduling and job management software from Moraware of Reno, NV

Number of Employees: 33

Original article on StoneWorld.com

Embracing change to sustain a viable business

With a history that dates back more than 60 years, Hoffman Fixtures Co. (HFC) in Tulsa, OK, has experienced many transitions through its years in business. The company began its operation in June of 1949 when founder Cecil Hoffman set up shop in his garage. He started by making custom restaurant, soda fountain, bar and store fixtures after World War II. With a successful business plan intact, HFC continued to evolve through the decades — expanding to larger facilities and adding laminate, solid surfacing and, eventually natural stone, to its product offerings. Today, the company operates out of a 30,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility, which processes 500 square feet of natural stone per day as well as 200 square feet of solid surfacing.

“By the mid-1950s, Cecil was so busy he called upon his son, Elden Hoffman, who was working as an oil field accountant in southern Oklahoma, to join him in the business because he was making the move to expand from his garage to HFC’s first official fabrication shop in Tulsa, OK,” said Joe Hoffman, Sr., Chief Executive Officer. “Upon Elden’s arrival, he immediately began exploring new products and ‘new’ surface material of that time. Plastic laminate was his choice to pursue.

“Cecil and Elden constructed their own post — forming equipment to manufacture the ‘new’ rolled edge laminate countertop, which soon became the surfacing of choice by builders, remodelers and homeowners,” Hoffman went on to say. “Over the next 20 years, HFC grew at a steady pace — along with the population of Tulsa — by moving twice into larger facilities.”

Hoffman explained that he began working for HFC just as Cecil was retiring. “I started out working as an installer, then shop production manager, before eventually becoming sales manager in 1982 — eventually purchasing the company from Elden in 1990,” he said.

Branching into stone fabrication

In 1982, HFC primarily focused on the production of laminate and solid surface countertops. “Laminate and solid surfacing continued to be the surface of choice in Tulsa, and HFC continued to have the majority market share of that business in both residential and commercial applications,” explained Hoffman. “In the mid-1990s, the popularity of natural stone was beginning to grow to the point that I decided to add it to HFC’s product offering and began selling installed jobs by outsourcing the fabrication. By 2002, the volume had grown so large that we were out sourcing to three and four fabrication shops to keep up. At the same time, my son, Joe Hoffman, Jr., had graduated Oklahoma State University and started working for the company full time in February 2002 as its Accounting and Purchasing Manager.”

Hoffman explained that Joe, Jr. was well versed in the fabrication and installation production aspects of the business before moving into management. Once his son was on board, Hoffman took the plunge and HFC opened its own stone fabrication facility. “Starting with just a bridge saw and a single-head line polisher, the volume continued to grow to become the largest product category in HFC’s offering,” he said.

Around this same time, HFC also joined the Artisan Group — a national organization of independent granite fabricators that have joined together to offer the Artisan StoneTM Collection, the first and only brand of granite wholly owned by Artisan Group, which has a comprehensive life-time warranty. The group also offers Heritage WoodTM countertops and Kohler® sinks and faucets.

“We joined Artisan Group because it gave us a chance to be part of a large buying group,” said Hoffman. “It offers a pooled knowledge base with like businesses that are not always competing with us. This group really is a top-notch bunch of companies who never turn down a request for knowledge and/or assistance. Also, the Artisan brand has grown into a recognizable brand of quality products and fabrication — particularly in the commercial arena.”

Expanding work space

The company continued on its path of transition and growth when it moved into its current 30,000-square-foot facility — complete with a 3,500-square-foot showroom — in August of 2008. It has previously been operating out of three separate buildings.

Another large step for HFC came in October of 2008 when it merged with Aztec Marble. Jamie Myers, the company’s current Chief Operating Officer, became the first non-Hoffman family stockholder of HFC.

“The Aztec merger added one of Tulsa’s largest Cast Polymer [cultured marble] operations under our umbrella,” said Hoffman. “In March of 2010, we purchased the assets of Phoenix Fabrication, LLC in Oklahoma City. That operation has been transformed into a sales, template and installation facility supported by the fabrication facilities in Tulsa.”

In addition to the 30,000 square feet in the main fabrication facility, HFC has an additional 15,000 square feet dedicated for its Cast Polymer plant. The sales and warehouse facility in Oklahoma City measures 15,000 square feet.

Investing in equipment

Equipment in the shop includes a dual-table Northwood SawJet, which utilizes a waterjet pump and cutting nozzle from KMT Waterjet Systems of Baxter Springs, KS. The SawJet as well as a Northwood CNC stoneworking machine were purchased in August of 2009 from Northwood Machine Mfg. of Louisville, KY. The CNC is equipped with ADI tooling from GranQuartz of Tucker, GA, and vacuum pods from Blick Industries of Laguna Beach, CA.

“The change to a digital shop — with the addition of the Northwood SawJet and CNC router — is directly related to how we have survived the current economy,” explained Hoffman. “Efficiency is key to controlling costs and producing enough volume to stay alive in these trying times. The capability of digital equipment has opened up market growth — particularly in the commercial segments. It very simply allows us to compete for jobs of virtually all types anywhere in the U.S.”

Additionally, slabs are cut on a Yukon bridge saw from Park Industries of St. Cloud, MN, and the most recent investment in the shop is a Park Fastback flat edge polisher. The machines are equipped with the Terminator brand of blades from Continental DIA Diamond Products of San Carlos, CA, and Rival polishing pads from Granite City Tool Co. of Waite Park, MN, are used for hand polishing. Vacuum lifters from Wood’s Powr-Grip Co. Inc. of Laurel, MT, are utilized for slab transportation around the facility.

Overall, HFC maintains a staff of approximately 55 employees, including seven stone shop fabricators, two to four solid surface fabricators, one to two laminate fabricators and five production workers at the Cast Polymer plant. Moreover, there are six installation crews based at the Tulsa location and two in Oklahoma City.

For templating, HFC uses the LT-55 Laser Templating System from Laser Products of Romeoville, IL. “We made the decision to go with Laser Products at the same time that we purchased the Northwood equipment,” said Hoffman. “This product has been instrumental in the change to digital technology because of its accuracy and ease of use.”

Marketing its products

According to Hoffman, 50% of the company’s surfacing sales is natural stone and quartz; 20% is solid surfacing; 20% is Cast Polymer bath surfacing, tubs and shower pans; and 10% is laminate surfacing and accessories such as plumbing fixtures and cabinets. As for its market, work in the surrounding areas of Tulsa and Oklahoma City is mostly residential, while it does commercial work nationwide. Some recent projects include: ONEOK Ball Park in Tulsa, the Tulsa Convention Center, the Pediatric Dental Clinic in Tulsa, Mercy Hospital Administration Offices in Oklahoma City, the Tulsa Spine and Orthopedic Institute, the Mayo Hotel and Lofts in Tulsa, the Federal Credit Union in Oklahoma City and the Quik Trip convenience store chain. “We have a five-year ongoing contract to supply all countertop surface for stores throughout the U.S.,” said Hoffman.

Despite difficult economic times, HFC has managed to remain successful. Hoffman credits the acquisition of Phoenix Fabrication as a contributing factor. “It provided an instant and ongoing customer list to build on while developing HFC as a viable brand in a new larger market,” he said. “This new market has been an integral part of our success during these challenging economic times we are experiencing. When we look at how much the Tulsa business revenue is down, less the added Oklahoma City business — due to the economy — by adding the Oklahoma City revenue, it has virtually replaced the lost Tulsa business and provided a much larger growth opportunity going forward.”

Hoffman Fixtures Co.

Tulsa, OK

Type of work: primarily residential in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City areas; commercial nationwide

Machinery: a dual-table Northwood SawJet and Northwood CNC stoneworking center — both from Northwood Machine Mfg. of Louisville, KY; a waterjet pump and cutting nozzle from KMT Waterjet Systems of Baxter Springs, KS; a Yukon bridge saw and a Park Fastback flat edge polisher — both from Park Industries of St. Cloud, MN; Terminator brand of blades from Continental DIA Diamond Products of San Carlos, CA; Rival polishing pads from Granite City Tool Co. of Waite Park, MN; vacuum pods from Blick Industries of Laguna Beach, CA; LT-55 Laser Templating System from Laser Products of Romeoville, IL,vacuum lifters from Wood’s Powr-Grip Co. Inc. of Laurel, MT; and hand tools and accessories from Granite City Tool; ADI tooling from GranQuartz of Tucker, GA

Number of employees: a staff of approximately 55 employees, including seven stone shop fabricators, two to four solid surface fabricators, one to two laminate fabricators, five production workers at the Cast Polymer (cultured marble) plant, and six installation crews based at the Tulsa location and two in Oklahoma City

Production rate: 500 square feet of natural stone per day as well as 200 square feet of solid surfacing.

Original article on StoneWorld.com

Staying Ahead with New Technology

Working out of a 40,000- square-foot facility in San Carlos, CA, D & J Tile Co., Inc. markets to the greater San Francisco Bay area. And with the majority of its work being large-scale commercial projects, technology plays an integral role in the company’s stone fabrication process. To stay ahead of the curve, D & J Tile, which was started in 1989, has made significant investments in state-of-the-art equipment through the years, including a waterjet that is utilized for customized stonework.

“We do a lot of custom inlays,” said Michael Brady, CAD Manager of D & J Tile Co., Inc. “A total of 90% of our work is commercial, and the other 10% is residential. We do a lot of cut-to-size tile that we can ship anywhere.”

An Omax 80160 Jet Machine is in place at the company’s shop to cut inlays as well as to custom cut metal brackets. It also plays a large role in producing customized stone pieces.

The company also utilizes a wide range of equipment for various aspects of fabrication. One of its most recent investments is a Thibaut T508 Texturing Center, which was supplied through EuroStone Machine of Atlanta, GA. It had been installed a month prior to Stone World’s visit. It is equipped with abrasives and brushes from Tenax USA of Charlotte, NC.

“We have a lot of customers requesting different finishes,” said Brady, when explaining some reasons for investing in the T508. “It is also used to repair damaged pieces and help turn inventory.”

Additionally, the shop includes a host of machinery from Park Industries of St. Cloud, MN. Among this equipment is a Fusion 6200 dual-table bridge saw/waterjet coupled with a Slabsmith Photo System, which allows high-resolution images of each slab to be taken and inventoried. The Fusion works in conjunction with an Ebbco Abrasive Removal System which is designed to continuously remove the spent abrasive that collects in the catch tank — eliminating downtime for clean out and maximizing production.

A Park Titan 1800 CNC stoneworking center, which is equipped with vacuum pods from Blick Industries of Laguna Beach, CA, is primarily used for countertops. “The Titan was purchased almost a year ago,” said Brady. “It has a laser measuring system that recalibrates the tooling — extending its life.”

Additionally, the CNC uses the Terminator brand of tooling from Continental DIA Diamond Products of San Carlos, CA. “Our CNC edge tooling is all Terminator Zoom, and with over 15 different profiles, we are able to achieve amazing edge combinations — all with a consistent polish right off of the machine,” said Brady. “We carry two sets of our most in-demand profiles and rotate them as they wear. The older set is sent back to Terminator to be reshaped and is quickly returned in like-new condition — ready for another production run. We stand by their tools and support, which has been unsurpassed through the years.

“Our shop also uses all Terminator blades — from our tile saws to our bridge saws,” Brady went on to say. “They always leave a perfect clean cut every time without any surprises, while at the same time maintaining high-feed rates and long tool life.”

Other Park machinery used in production includes a Pro-Edge III edge polisher, a Jaguar bridge saw and a Fastback backsplash polisher that is used for processing the edges of open joint cladding and other architectural work. “The Jaguar is our oldest piece of equipment, but it still works great,” said Brady.

The weekly production rate can vary, depending on the job. When working on multiple high-rises, D & J Tile can produce up to 2,300 square feet in a week. This number can drop to 450 square feet, when the company is between projects.

At the time of Stone World’s visit, thresholds made of Botticino marble were being run through the Fastback. In total, D & J Tile had an order to supply 650 thresholds for 350 rooms of the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco.

The SlabsmithTM Photo Station from Northwood Designs, Inc. of Antwerp, NY was bought over a year ago. “It allows us to show a layout to our customers,” said Brady. “We can manipulate the slab to show them what their countertops will look like before we even cut.”

To move slabs around the shop, workers utilize six Jib cranes with vacuum lifters from Anver Corp. of Hudson, MA. The new lifters are complete with auto tilting, according Brady.

Water used during fabrication is recycled with an EnviroSystem from Water Treatment Technologies of Hampton, NH. “Everything in the shop is 100% wet,” said Brady. “We re-use 90% of our water.”

In total, D & J Tile employs 40 workers. This includes two install crews for countertops. Templating is completed with two Proliners from Prodim and two LT-55 Laser Templators from Laser Products of Romeoville, IL. “We’ve been using them for about three years,” said Brady.

For all of its countertop installations, D & J Tile uses the KEIL Undercounter Sink Attachment System. “We put sink clips on all vanities,” said Brady. “A lot of contractors love it.” Since it is an under-counter application, a sink can be easily replaced without ever having to remove the stone countertop.

Customers can view more than 150 different types of marble, granite and onyx at D & J Tile’s showroom. The company imports directly from Italy, Brazil and India. In addition to natural stone, D & J Tile also carries CaesarStone and Silestone by Cosentino. “About 15 to 20% of our work is quartz,” said Brady.

Innovations

A little more than a year ago, D & J Tile developed Stonelyte — a unique process that uses specialized acrylic panels, coupled with LED lighting, to create an illuminated stone surface that enhances the natural elements of stone. “Stonelyte panels are produced by milling most standard stone down to a nominal thickness of 5/16 inch and directly laminating the stone material to a 5/16-inch-thick optical acrylic backing panel for strength and bright even light output,” states D & J Tile.

The company also specializes in Building Information Modeling (BIM), which is an advanced virtual modeling process that allows real time design changes and reduction of potential errors. A Virtual Design & Construction Specialist is able to put together every building stone as a three-dimensional piece. “Since every piece is built individual, we can pull out one piece and know the dimensions of each stone,” explained Brady.

At the time of Stone World’s visit, D & J Tile was using BIM for the Cathedral Hill Hospital project in San Francisco, CA. The fabricator was collaborating on the 1.2-million-square-foot urban replacement hospital with the architectural firm SmithGroup. According to Brady, 25,000 square feet of stone is being employed for the exterior of the hospital.

“It’s going to be the largest hospital on the West Coast,” said Brady. “It is an entire city block. This is the first time architects are coming to us and asking us the most efficient way to build and to get LEED points.”

D & J Tile Co., Inc.

San Carlos, CA

Type of work: 90% commercial, 10% residential

Machinery: an Omax 80160 Jet Machine from Omax Corp. of Kent, WA; a Thibaut T508 Texturing Center supplied through EuroStone Machine of Atlanta, GA; abrasives and brushes from Tenax USA of Charlotte, NC; a Fusion 6200 dual-table bridge saw/waterjet, a Titan 1800 CNC stoneworking center, a Pro-Edge III edge polisher, a Jaguar bridge saw and a Fastback backsplash polisher — all from Park Industries of St. Cloud, MN; an Ebbco Abrasive Removal System; Terminator Zoom CNC tooling and Terminator blades from Continental DIA Diamond Products of San Carlos, CA; a SlabsmithTM Photo Station from Northwood Designs, Inc. of Antwerp, NY; an EnviroSystem from Water Treatment Technologies of Hampton, NH; six Jib cranes with vacuum lifters from Anver Corp. of Hudson, MA; two Proliners from Prodim and two LT-55 Laser Templators from Laser Products of Romeoville, IL

Number of employees: 40 workers, including two installation crews

Production rate: Approximately 2,300 square feet per week when working on multiple high-rises

Countertop Templating

Original article on StoneWorld.com