Countertop Fabrication News

GranQuartz is happy to announce the hiring of Rob Etter covering accounts in Central and Northern Florida.

Rob has 7 years experience in the stone industry providing service and solutions to fabricators. With 18 years of sales experience, Rob has worked with a polyester manufacturer and is an expert on adhesives for the industry.

He has vast experience in the Stone Tool business and has a strong working knowledge of our extensive product line from polishing pads to CNC tooling. With a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Purdue University, Rob has most recently worked in the Stone Tool industry managing accounts in SC, NC and VA.

Rob will be relocating to the Orlando area with his wife and two children and can be reached at 856-207-1424.

GranQuartz introduces the StoneCycler
from Diarex®

It costs money to dispose of stone waste and remnants. Now with the new easy to use Diarex® StoneCycler, stone waste can be turned into a money making product, while reducing the negative environmental impact.

The Diarex® StoneCycler is an innovative machine that punches out a variety of shapes in the stone that can be sold as pavers or tile. Instead of stone waste, fabricators are now able to sell the material as profitable stone pavers and reduce costly waste disposal fees.

Cutting dies are available in many standard shapes, but custom dies can also be designed, giving customers the ability to personalize their own paver shapes.

GranQuartz SuperBike
Give Away WINNER!

Congratulations to Mr. Jeff Wendel of Wisenbaker Builder Services, Houston Texas- he is the proud NEW OWNER of our Suzuki Hayabusa “SuperBike”!

The bike was awarded to Mr. Wendel last month by our Houston SuperStore manager, Jerry Ramirez (shown above). An avid motorcycle enthusiast, Jeff was very excited when he discovered his entry had been chosen for our Grand Prize. He told us that, while this is not his first street bike, he has “never had one quite like this!”

We would like to thank everyone who entered our give away promotion! Keep your eyes open for our next promotion, coming soon.

GranQuartz Success at
StonExpo West Las Vegas

GranQuartz completed a successful exhibition at StonExpo West in Las Vegas in October. With 3,500 square feet of exhibit space at the front entrance to the show, GranQuartz showcased to the trade the latest innovative and cost-effective tools from the most trusted brands. “We were pleased with the overall results at StonExpo. Even though 2007 was a challenging year for the Industry, the traffic from attendees Investing their time to learn about new equipment, tools and general know-how was very good,” stated Beth Hardy, GranQuartz Event Coordinator.

GranQuartz used StonExpo as a platform to unveil the latest CNC tooling, water filtration and dust collection technology, among many other products. The new UHS (Ultra High Speed) tooling from ADI took front and center, introduced as the world’s fastest CNC tooling for stone fabrication. UHS, a breakthrough in the design of modern diamond tooling technology, drastically improves tool feed rates and overall machine production yields, allowing a fabricator the option to more than triple a profile tool’s speed or double it’s tool life. To commemorate the introduction of UHS, GranQuartz showcased the grand prize of the ADI UHS CNC Tooling Sweepstakes, the Suzuki Hayabusa, the world’s fastest production motorcycle. One lucky GranQuartz customer will be chosen on January 2, 2008, to win this motorcycle. “The motorcycle had an immediate impact with customers since it was the first thing they saw walking into the booth, “ said Mike Brown, Equipment Technician for GranQuartz. “Customers can register for the sweepstakes on-line at www.granquartz.com.”

GranQuartz also showcased the Diarex Cyclone Water Filtration System. This unique filtration system has a modular design with varying levels of filtration based on customer needs. The GranQuartz display cleverly showed the water clarity achieved after each stage of the process. “The Diarex Cyclone System received a lot of attention and will continue to be a necessity in many shops as environmental regulations continue to tighten and fabricators look for ways to save money,” said Dave Flanagan, GranQuartz Product Manager.

The Diarex Magnum Dust Collectors were also in action at the show. The units, designed to filter out 99% of all harmful dust, were of interest to attendees who were learning about how to improve the air quality and overall operator safety in their shops by using these machines.

GranQuartz, the stone industry’s largest distributor of tools and equipment, continued to stand out at StonExpo with these featured products in addition to the extensive selection of material handling equipment, Emmedue saws, safety equipment and a broad range of quality diamond consumables. “Attendees seemed to rush to our exhibit for three straight days, due to the ‘wow factor’ in our exhibits and product selection, particularly safety and handling equipment”, said Jerry Ramirez, GranQuartz Houston Superstore Store Manager.

World’s Fastest CNC Tooling Introduced by ADI and GranQuartz

Time is money in stone fabrication. Today’s stone professional is looking at all aspects of the fabrication process, trying to find gains in production efficiency. Many fabricators have invested in the latest stone processing equipment, only to find that their output is limited by the operating speed of their tooling. UHS, or Ultra High Speed technology, is a breakthrough in the design of modern diamond tooling. UHS technology drastically improves tool feed rates and overall machine production yields.

UHS technology allows a fabricator the option to more than triple a profile tool’s speed or double it’s tool life. The standard tool speed rate of 30” per minute is dwarfed by the production speed of the new UHS profile tool of up to 150” per minute. UHS technology also makes it possible to now mill bowl holes at a feed rate of up to 24” per minute while enjoying longer tool life. The new UHS finger bit delivers a faster cutting tool with a longer life span. UHS tooling from GQ and ADI will have an immediate impact on your equipment’s productivity.

“ADI’s existing Eraser System is being supercharged with UHS technology for the ultimate blend of speed and polish quality. In fact, the biggest constraint to a fabricator’s productivity now is whether the fabricator can keep up with the speed of the UHS tools,” says Paul Taylor, Diamond Consumables Product Manager for GranQuartz. “The faster output results in tremendous savings in overhead and labor. Also, a fabricator can achieve much greater utilization of their biggest capital investment, their CNC, with ADI Ultra High Speed tools.”

Damon Bennett, CNC Operator for Atlanta Kitchens, says “ADI UHS tools save a lot of man hours and a lot of machine time; we’re able to get more pieces on the machine. This business is about speed and the customers are always wanting to get their job faster.”

To commemorate the introduction of UHS, GranQuartz is pleased to announce the ADI Ultra High Speed (UHS) CNC Tooling Sweepstakes. Celebrating the arrival of the world’s fastest CNC tooling, one lucky GranQuartz customer will be chosen on January 2, 2008, to win the world’s fastest production motorcycle, the Suzuki Hayabusa.

“We couldn’t think of a better promotional tie-in,” explains Tom Probst, Marketing Manager for GranQuartz. “The new Ultra High Speed tools from ADI are the world’s fastest CNC tooling for stone profiling. Nothing short of the world’s fastest production motorcycle could promote our product better.”

GranQuartz’s CNC Tooling Program continues to set the standard of excellence in the stone fabrication industry with unsurpassed ADI CNC tool innovation, quality, inventory availability from eight stocking locations nationwide, two dedicated service technicians and twenty-four trained field sales reps.

To register for the sweepstakes or learn more about ADI Ultra High Speed tools, go to www.GranQuartz.com/Sweepstakes.

Enter to Win the Suzuki Hayabusa Motorcycle
from GranQuartz

Bring in the New Year on a Suzuki Hayabusa! GranQuartz is pleased to announce the ADI Ultra High Speed (UHS) CNC Tooling Sweepstakes. Celebrating the arrival of the world’s fastest CNC tooling, one lucky GranQuartz customer will be chosen on January 2, 2008, to win the world’s fastest production motorcycle, the Suzuki Hayabusa.

ADI’s existing Eraser System is being supercharged with UHS technology for the ultimate blend of speed and polish quality. “The ADI UHS CNC tools have achieved up to three times the production speed or two times the tool life of competitive CNC tools,” says Paul Taylor, Diamond Consumables Product Manager for GranQuartz. “The faster output results in tremendous savings in overhead and labor. Also, a fabricator can achieve much greater utilization of their biggest capital investment, their CNC, with ADI Ultra High Speed tools.”

“We couldn’t think of a better promotional tie-in,” explains Tom Probst, Marketing Manager for GranQuartz. “The new Ultra High Speed tools from ADI are the world’s fastest CNC tooling for stone cutting production. Nothing short of the world’s fastest production motorcycle could promote our product better.”

GranQuartz’s CNC Tooling Program continues to set the standard of excellence in the stone fabrication industry with unsurpassed ADI CNC tool innovation, quality, inventory availability from eight stocking locations nationwide, two dedicated service technicians and twenty-four trained field sales reps.

To register for the sweepstakes or learn more about ADI Ultra High Speed tools, go to www.GranQuartz.com/Sweepstakes.

GranQuartz Unveils Industry-First Safety Catalog

GranQuartz has released the first edition of a catalog exclusively covering safety products for the stone industry. This eight page catalog, the GranQuartz Complete Protection & Safety Equipment Catalog, covers GranQuartz's product offering in each of eight key stone shop safety categories: Engineered Dust Control Systems, Material Handling, Traffic, Electrical, First Aid, Ergonomics, General Shop Safety and Personal Protective Equipment, including, Hand, Respiratory, Eye, Head, Hearing and Foot Protection.

The publication also features two extremely helpful tools to assist shops in better understanding their safety requirements, "The Law" callouts and the "Safety Checklist". "The Law" callouts are sections throughout the catalog which summarize key OSHA requirements relevant to the specific safety categories. The "Safety Checklist", conveniently located on the back page of the catalog, itemizes each safety item by category in an easy-to-use format so that the fabrication shop can quantify their needs by comparing the items on the list with the requirements of the shop’s safety program and with what is currently available in the shop.

"This catalog is the culmination of a tremendous effort by GranQuartz to compile a comprehensive, best-in-class safety program," says Dave Flanagan, Product Manager for GranQuartz. "GranQuartz built this program around key suppliers who we partnered with because of the leadership within their respective product categories, the innovation of their product lines and the commitment to safety evident in the engineering, production and quality control of their industry-leading, high quality safety solutions."

The publication of the catalog comes at a pivotal time for the stone industry, with increased attention to safety from government entities and education from the MIA other industry trade associations. "The catalog is a timely resource to assist and educate shops on general safety requirements and product selection," says Tom Probst, Marketing Manager for GranQuartz. "We all know that the most important part of any safety program is the actual implementation of the program. We hope that this catalog raises safety awareness to help in this process."

All GranQuartz safety products are backed by a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, the industry’s best shipping program and nationwide support from eight Superstore locations and over 30 experienced sales people.

Click here to view the pdf copy of the Protection & Safety Equipment Catalog or simply download the GranQuartz Safety Checklist. To purchase GranQuartz safety products please go to our e-commerce site.

New Flammable Liquid Storage Cabinet

As part of their ongoing effort to meet the safety needs of the stone industry, GranQuartz has added a new flammable liquid storage cabinet to their line of safety products. Designed to protect workers, reduce fire risks and improve productivity, the new flammable liquid storage cabinet meets OSHA and NFPA standards and is backed by an exclusive 10 year warranty.

"Our new storage cabinet is ideally suited for the stone fabrication facility", explains Dave Flanagan, Product Manager for GranQuartz. "OSHA requires fabricators to use safety cabinets when certain amounts of flammable chemicals, such as acetones and styrene-based adhesives, are used in the shop. We selected to sell this particular storage cabinet due to the storage size, quality of construction and excellent warranty. It is a must have for medium to large-size stone fabrication facilities."

Specifications include:

• FM approved, UL listed, and complies with OSHA and NFPA standards.
• Dimensions: 65"H x 43"W x 18"D (45 gallon capacity).
• Constructed of 18 gauge double wall steel provides 1 1/2" of insulating air barrier between you and your flammable liquids.
• Storage Cabinet Two shelves with built-in troughs and leakproof wells contain accidental spills; shelves are adjustable in 2 1/4" increments to maximize storage space and are reinforced to handle extra weight.
• Leakproof sill in base of cabinet is a full 2" deep to contain spills.
• High performance, self-latching doors close easily and securely for maximum protection under fire conditions.
• Fail-safe closing mechanism with three-point keyed latching system works the first time, every time.
• Baked-on, high gloss powder-coat paint finish resists solvents, acids and alkalies andminimizes the effects of corrosion and humidity.
• Adjustable leveling feet at all four corners ensure proper alignment for tight door closure.
• Dual vents with flame arrestors.

The new Flammable Liquid Storage Cabinet is in stock now and can be ordered on-line at www.GranQuartz.com or by calling 1-800-458-6222.

New CNC Tooling Catalog from GranQuartz

GranQuartz’s CNC Tooling Program sets a standard of excellence in the stone fabrication industry with unsurpassed ADI CNC tool quality, innovation, inventory availability from eight stocking locations nationwide, two dedicated service technicians and twenty-four trained field sales reps. Now, this tooling program is detailed in a new publication available from GranQuartz.

The new CNC Tooling Program catalog features 76 pages of content including an overview of the tooling program, callouts on the ADI CNC tool difference and details on the world-class stocking and service program available only from GranQuartz.

The catalog is divided into easy-to-use color-coded sections covering each CNC product category available: the ADI EraserTM 120 Series, 80 Series, 40 Series and 20 Series; Fingerbits including the new UHS™ and Goldfinger™; Gauging Wheels, Core Bits, Blades and Diarex® Pro SeriesTM Cones. The catalog also contains product images, illustrated line drawings with key product dimensions and tool operating parameters.

To get your free copy of the GranQuartz CNC Catalog, call 800-458-6222 or visit www.GranQuartz.com.