8 Things you should read before buying machinery

Second hand machine, new machines, cnc, cutting machine, milling machine, how to set up your machine shop to make countertops and vanitytops in granite, marble, limestone, engineered stone, or just any stone.
I want to share some of my experience with you regarding your manufacturing plant, things I think are important while buying machinery and installing them on the shop floor. I've had the privilege to see several stone shops in several countries, and have always used this learning experience to my advantage.
Regarding your plant I figure you should carefully evaluate what you tend to do and buy your equipment accordingly. So if you plan to work with marble or granite, their might be some differences ... or if you plan to do stairs and risers, or fireplaces ... you'll probably need a different layout and other equipment.
Things to take in mind when buying equipment and planning layout:
1. Select the features and the correct machine for the job
Try to select the correct machine to make the products you intend ... if you buy a more complex machine than you need, you'll be spending unnecessary cash ... don't forget corrosion is very big on stone machinery, as treated water will gradually destroy your perfectly working equipment. And if you buy a feature on a machine that you will not use, maybe you'll have an unpleasant surprise one day.
2. When buying new or used machinery make certain that the manufacturer has local maintenance teams to help you
In the stone business I have in the past bought new machinery, I must confess that my experience is in the engineered stone sector, and to get a good polish it's sometimes very difficult with prime stable machines. When buying a used machine, be sure you have the right maintenance and support from the machine manufacturer, this means be sure you have a local office that can satisfy your technical needs or you may be in for a nightmare. A new machine, in theory, will give you a peaceful time in the first 3/4 years, then corrosion will settle in.
3. A new machine will not be a turn key solution to your problem
Installing a new machine doesn't necessary mean that you solved a problem, normally you just created a new one. As perfecting the ability to work with the machine may take a few weeks and sometimes hiring trained personnel.
4. Prepare the installation of the machine to the utmost detail, make sure they follow instructions during installation
Due to the constant usage of water to lubricate cutting and avoid dust in the floor shop, when installing the machine, prepare a sub-level water sewage system, with a grid on top. A clean and dry workspace is possible, you just have to think ahead.
5. Space and Simplicity should be taken into account when designing your layout
When cutting stone or finishing it, lots of useless scrap stone will suddenly appear all over the place ... so study this carefully, you can install conveyor belts to transport the scrap stone out of you shop floor, be careful things might get a little to crowded and with intense traffic. Avoid using forklifts on the shop floor, you can live without them, you just have to figure it out.
6. Make sure you infra structure is enough to add your new machine, don't want to add some last minute expenses
Water treatment plant: make sure that your installed capacity is enough to supply your new machinery, or you'll have to increase capacity of your water treatment plant.
7. Outsource before buying an expensive equipment, make sure your payback is guaranteed
Before going out and buying new machinery, try to outsource certain features of your final product. Believe me not all features are widely accepted by the market, this way when you go out and buy tooling you'll be getting return immediately.
8. Design your machine layout following a logic flow of materials
When installing equipment on the shop floor make sure you define the flow of materials, and buy the machine with the correct production direction, most may be ordered with right or left hand material entrances. I've seen people buying the machine without even looking at this detail, and when the machine arrives ... you're installing it against the flow ...

Is Silestone the biggest quartz producer?

The question is Silestone the biggest quartz producer? is a relevant one. In fact many people discuss this topic. In truth to actually achieve the title of the biggest, we really need to breakdown all the information. Many engineered stone plants have several production lines, and some even have different engineered stone plant systems, so I've made a list based on my personal knowledge and all the available information.
I'm only going to evaluate the companies in the world that use Italian technology, as the Chinese brand has several plants in China which is difficult to give actual data about them.
Quartz Based Producer that use Italian technology:

• Silestone: they publicize that their the biggest in the world, I figure they should have 11 or 12 production lines installed

• Santa Margherita produces about 8.000 sqm every day, I assume it includes marble and quartz based material, as they have both plants operating in the same location.

• Compac, The Surface Company has a marble based plant in Spain and a Quartz plant in Portugal assumes it has a capacity of 2.5 million sqm per year;

• Quarella-Verona Italy, says it's the biggest agglomerate producer in the world with a yearly output of 4 million sqm, basically they have marble based plant and quartz based plant. Adding up the marble and the quartz capacity it's probably the biggest in the world, so they say. I have not mentioned Rover or Prestige, as I figure their productions are included in the numbers above.

• Caeserstone - Israel - Says to have a 2 million sqm yearly capacity, they are the oldest company in Quartz based agglomerate, they started their plant in 1987.

• Çimstone-Izmir Turkey, 2 lines, no quantity specified.

• Stone Italiana: no available information about production capacity, but one thing I can tell you, their the most expensive in the market, but also the ones who have cutting-edge products.

• Okite-Italy: no available information on production capacity

• Diresco-Belgium: capacity to produce 4.000 sqm per day

• Sidera - Romania: 100.000 sqm per year

• Technistone - Czech Republic: 2 production lines and are negotiating to double their production capacity

• Nexus-Germany: just re-started production ... 1 production line

• Plaza Stone -Russia

• TotemQuartz -Iran: 1.000 sqm per shift, needless to say that normal production lines work 3 shifts.

• Gulf Stone- Oman: no available information regarding production capacity;

• Zodiaq-USA: no available information

• Vicostone-Vietnam: They currently have 2 production lines, no available information regarding production capacity

• HanStone - South Korea: no online information available

• RomaStone - Taiwan: 98.000 sqm per month although they have a block producing plant and mainly deal in marble based material;

• RMC-Portugal: have a marble block plant and no available information on production capacity;

• Yunfu Breton Stone Building Materials - China: 1 block plant to produce marble based material output not available

• Pokarna - India: no available information regarding production output

So this is about it, hope I didn't miss any Breton Plant for engineered quartz or engineered marble (which use polyester resin as a bonding agent). The answer to the question of this post is: if you just take the engineered quartz part of the business then Silestone is the biggest in the world, but if you add the engineered marble and look at engineered stone or composite stone as some usually call it, then we have Quarella in the top position.