Based in Wigan, Family-run Avamco Solid Surfaces Ltd has spent over 20 years uniting two disciplines that rarely meet in one company: engineering complex architectural stonework and crafting bespoke interior surfaces. From high-rise façades to kitchen worktops, the firm approaches every project with the same emphasis on precision, performance, and longevity.

Founded in 2003, Avamco has evolved from a specialist contractor into a multi-faceted operation, working with architects, main contractors, and private clients alike. This dual expertise allows the company to oversee projects holistically, ensuring that exterior and interior surfaces perform seamlessly within the building’s ecosystem.

An engineering mindset informs their solid surface and stone worktop division, with CNC machinery and skilled masons transforming Corian®, quartz, granite, and porcelain into bespoke surfaces for kitchens, bathrooms, and commercial interiors. Each material is treated to maximise durability and performance: seamless Corian® joints, hygienic quartz, character-rich granite, and heat and scratch-resistant porcelain. While the company also advises clients on material selection, maintenance, and lifecycle, and minimises waste by repurposing off-cuts and sourcing from ethical quarries.

On architectural and heritage projects, Avamco’s focus extends beyond the visible stone. Using 3D modelling and finite element analysis (FEA), the team designs bespoke support systems capable of accommodating thermal movement, wind load, and long-term environmental stress. For example, a recent Manchester high-rise required a custom stainless steel subframe precisely calibrated to maintain façade stability at height. Heritage projects often demand a forensic approach, and where centuries-old iron fixings may corrode and crack surrounding stone, Avamco’s solution is not just replacement, but careful removal of corrosive elements and installation of non-corrosive supports - safeguarding the structure while preserving historical integrity.

Spectra Stone is a fully integrated stone company, with full in-house control and access to some of the finest natural and semi-precious stone. They offer sourcing to engineering, finishing and fitting, and delivering interior and architectural stone solutions of distinction. By combining cutting-edge technology with master craftsmanship, Spectra Stone brings ambitious design visions to life without compromise - something commercial manager Paula Mazur knows only too well.

My day starts…

My day kicks off around 5:30 a.m. with a quick shower and a scroll through my phone to see what I missed overnight while it was on sleep mode. Once I’m done, I get dressed and head to the kitchen to sort out lunches for me and my partner, make some coffee, feed the dogs, and let them out. It’s a bit of a morning rush, but by 6:35 I’m out the door to catch the 6:45 train to Paddington.

The train ride - about 50 minutes -is my little pocket of “me time.” I eat the sandwich I made earlier, sip my coffee, and catch up on some TV shows on demand. I get to Paddington around 7:37 and jump on the 36 bus to my office near Victoria Station. That’s usually when I finally check my work phone and start replying to messages - easing my way into the workday.

Things are a little different in the summer months, though. I like to start my day earlier, around 4:45, and take the dogs for a walk along the river before work - it’s such a peaceful way to begin the day and makes the early start totally worth it.

I am usually found working… 

I am usually found working in the head office near Victoria Station, though I do get the chance to travel out to different sites. I really enjoy visiting the workshops - it’s always nice to see things in production and check on how everything’s coming together. The London site visits are usually quick pop-outs, but the overseas trips, while they might sound like a bit of a treat, can actually be quite exhausting with all the travel and long days on site.

My typical day involves…

My typical day involves a bit of everything, and no two days are ever the same. As part of the senior management team, I attend a few regular weekly meetings, but most of my time is spent juggling various aspects of the business - from payroll and bookkeeping to tender preparations and organising on-site work. Since our projects aren’t just based in London but spread internationally, there’s a fair bit of logistics involved as well. I also look after procurement, which means researching and sourcing natural stone for our projects is part of my daily routine. I never really take a proper lunch break - it’s a habit that started years ago when I worked in an area that wasn’t very “lunch friendly,” so I just stopped going out for lunch. Over time, that turned into my routine; I find I get so absorbed in what I’m doing that I prefer not to break my flow.

The thing that surprises me most about my job…

On the positive side, even after nearly 15 years in the business, I’m still discovering new types of stone that I didn’t know existed. The sheer variety of colours, textures, and patterns, and the fact that new stones are still being found, never stops amazing me. Mother Nature truly is the greatest artist, and her creative process is ongoing.

The negative side, however, is that sexism is still very present in the industry. Although things have improved a lot since I first started working in construction, it remains a male-dominated field. Not long ago, I overheard someone say, “Unfortunately, women get pregnant,” which honestly shocked me. The idea that women should be seen as “less than” because we bring life into the world - and may need a few months away from work - is deeply disappointing.

I also continue to see women being paid less for doing the same jobs as men, and the outdated notion of male superiority still lingers. Recently, I witnessed a particularly nasty verbal attack by a man toward a woman during a meeting. What was even more troubling was that none of the other men present stepped in or addressed it - it was left to me to call it out.

There’s only one way to change this: women must stand together, support one another, and refuse to ignore this kind of behaviour. Only then can we hope to see it eventually disappear from our industry for good.

When I was younger, I wanted to be…

When I was younger, I wanted to be a forensic investigator or a detective. I started reading Agatha Christie books as a child, and I was completely fascinated! I’d hide under my duvet with a flashlight so my parents wouldn’t notice I was still awake, completely lost in the mystery.

As I grew older, that ambition shifted slightly - I became drawn to journalism instead. I realised I could still do a bit of “detective work,” but with fewer crime scenes, less blood, and no dead bodies, which certainly appealed to me more.

Life, however, had a very different script in store for me - one I could never have imagined. Growing up in Poland in the late ’80s and early ’90s, I had absolutely no idea what marble was. Even if I’d seen it somewhere, I wouldn’t have recognised it! Back then, “stone” to me meant the dark, dull material that filled Polish cemeteries - which, as I later learned, was actually granite.

Something you might not know about me…

Something you may not know about me is that ever since I was a little girl, I didn’t play with dolls like other girls - I played with toy cars. When I was about seven or eight, I spent hours in the garage with my dad, fixing up our 1974 Ford Taunus. It was a deep red with a black leather roof -an absolute classic. I’ll never forget the thrilling moment when the car was finally roadworthy enough for a spin around the block, even though it was still missing crucial elements like the headlamps!

That love for cars has stayed with me ever since. My partner shares the passion, and now that we live in the countryside, we have two 4x4s that we take off-roading in Wales or on trips around local byways on Sundays. We also attend various car shows and meet-ups. Honestly, nothing makes me happier than a muddy car!

My most memorable moment at work…

My most memorable moment at work - gosh, there have been so many! I’ve been incredibly privileged to travel the world, visit stone quarries, stand atop mountains, and go deep underground. But one experience that has stayed with me was being part of the installation for Jenny Holzer’s exhibition at Blenheim Palace a few years ago. It was an enormous logistical challenge. We had to install massive Ancaster stone benches in the palace courtyard and Portoro marble ones inside. These pieces were so heavy that they couldn’t simply be wheeled in. To reach the main entrance, we had to navigate several steps - impossible while carrying such weight - so we relied on far-reach HiAbs and other equipment. The entire operation took hours, and I was there every step of the way. What made it truly special was being among the first to witness the preparations for the exhibition, long before anyone else could see or experience it. Finally, when all the benches were in place and being adjusted to their final positions, it was around 3 a.m. I wandered through the ground floor of the palace, and it felt like stepping into another world. Absolute silence. The grandeur of the rooms, the history in every corner - it was just me and the palace. No rush, no crowds, no distractions. I could pause, breathe, and take it all in. Moments like these are rare, and they remind me how extraordinary it is to experience such privilege through our work - to be part of creating something that others will admire, while quietly witnessing its magic firsthand.

If I could give one piece of advice to someone considering a career in the stone industry…

If I could give one piece of advice to anyone considering a career in the stone industry, it would be this: be prepared to work hard and grow a thick skin, but never get discouraged - the rewards along the way are incredible. The stone industry isn’t for everyone, so don’t force yourself to love it. If you try and it doesn’t resonate, that’s okay. But if you do discover a passion for it, the world truly becomes your oyster. Stone can take you anywhere in the world! There are so many different paths and opportunities in this industry, and no matter your background, there’s a place for you to thrive.

Stone Federation hosted its inaugural Parliamentary Reception on Tuesday 28 October, welcoming more than 30 MPs and their teams under the theme, Building Britain’s Sustainable Future’

The event enjoyed strong cross-party backing and focused on the vital role of natural stone in delivering a low-carbon, sustainable built environment. Discussions highlighted the importance of supporting the UK’s indigenous stone quarries in advancing the circular economy through local sourcing and responsible quarrying, as well as the positive impact this can have on helping the government meet its net-zero targets. Another key talking point was the growing skills shortage in construction, with a call for renewed investment in heritage crafts such as stonemasonry to preserve traditional expertise for future generations.

The reception provided Stone Federation members with the opportunity to engage directly with their MPs, with the aim of strengthening connections between the sector and policymakers. The Stone Federation commented, "It was so encouraging to see the widespread and genuine support that the cause of the UK stone industry has from MPs," underlining the significance of such face-to-face engagements. 

Building on the success of this first reception, Stone Federation will host a follow-up roundtable next year to develop tangible initiatives and measurable targets around sustainability, skills, and industry growth.

As discussed in our 30th Anniversary of Classico Marble article, the specialist stone fabrication and installation company spawned another key brand, Stone Automation, in 2022. To add even more layers to the onion, Stone Automation itself already represents five leading industry brands, some three years into trading. 

The portfolio of Donatoni, Wodiam, Tesimag, Leica Geosystems and Slabsmith is extensive. However, with a little help from the managing director of both brands, Salvatore Caruso, the reasoning and advantages of those layers become all too clear - and serve as a reminder as to how and why they’ve continued to flourish as a business.

As Salvatore explains, it was hands-on experience in the Classico workshop that lit the touch paper: “the formation of Stone Automation was a natural opportunity because we were a loyal Donatoni customer, and we understood the fabricator market and the support it needed.” While working with Donatoni CNC bridge saws, the team recognised that another, separate piece of tooling was also playing a vital role in the precision cutting of stone for their expansive project portfolio: blades. The brand responsible here was Wodiam, and while expanding another earlier brand of his own, Salvatore recognised an opportunity to join the dots:

 “We used Wodiam tooling at Classico Marble, and I had started to sell it through Italian Luxury Surfaces, another business I founded in 2015. Italian Luxury Surfaces was initially set up as a distribution business for natural stone sourced direct from Verona and Stone Italiana’s high-performance quartz, which my father had been using since the very early years of Classico Marble. This business gave us an insight into the fabricator market and a good understanding of the high-quality support and products they needed.”  When Stone Automation was formed as the vehicle for the Donatoni distributorship, it was logical to move Wodiam away from Italian Luxury Surfaces and then keep tooling and machinery all under the Stone Automation umbrella. 

Like Classico Marble, Wodiam is a family business with a focus on helping stone fabricators improve the efficiency and quality of their work. Wodiam’s blades, routers and polishing tools are all made at their factory in Germany, and the technical support Wodiam offers fabricators is industry-leading. There is clearly a synergy, which Salvatore notes, “Their team and ours spend time with fabricators and operators at their machines, showing them how to use Wodiam tools and how to get the best speeds on their machines, no matter which material they are processing.”

As a brand continually seeking new ways to enhance efficiency and client experience, it was a natural next step to start working with Slabsmith in the Classico Marble workshop. Slabsmith is a digital slab management software and system that can help a fabrication company streamline its inventory and overall slab management processes. With 10 years of experience with the product, it was only a matter of time before Stone Automation took on the brand, and Salvatore is keen to emphasise its value, “if you are a fabricator crafting book-matched surfaces for high-end projects, as a system, it is an absolute must. 

Tesimag joined Stone Automation in 2024 just ahead of MarmoMac, and the company specialises in the design and construction of wastewater treatment plants, filter presses and advanced pumping systems with ranges created for the stone fabrication industry. As fabricators themselves, Stone Automation knows that stone processing businesses need better water filtering and treatment solutions to avoid costly downtime on the machines, and to reduce the cost of using precious mains water. Which, once again, makes Tesimag a natural addition to the portfolio.

Leica Geosystems is the latest brand to join the fold, and Stone Automation proudly distributes its robotic digital templating tools to the stone fabrication sector. Its introduction has added yet more positive layers for the company, as Salvatore describes, “Leica has also brought us into the marine, glass and canvas sectors for their templating tools, so we have recruited a new team to support those markets. Digital templating is 100% the future for stone fabrication, and with Leica’s tools, it is so fast, efficient and precise that it speeds up the whole templating process and helps avoid costly remakes.” As those in the industry know only too well, often it is the fabricator that foots the bill when it comes to remakes due to poor templating, but Salvatore thinks the Leica tool is the ideal solution as “it’s so precise, quick to set up and easy to use; every fabricator should consider it!”

With a rich history and a huge breadth of machinery, robots, and production lines stemming from their initial relationship with Donatoni, the five brands at Stone Automation enable them to cover most functions within a fabrication business, while offering high-quality support to fabricators post-sale.

So, whether it’s slab scanning and inventory management to water recycling and filtration, customers can expect honest and knowledgeable advice from a team that has used the products themselves, worked within fabrication businesses, and offers ongoing after-sales support once they have made a purchase.

This month marks the 30th anniversary of Classico Marble, a brand founded by the late Calogero Caruso, which emerged as a go-to specialist in bespoke stone surfaces for architects, developers and designers across the South East of England. 

Classico Marble brings a “slab-to-surface” approach to stone projects, from material selection and templating through CNC fabrication, bespoke finishing and on-site installation. The brand continues to flourish under the leadership of Calogero’s son, Salvatore, which has led to the addition of Italian Luxury Surfaces in 2015, followed by Stone Automation in 2022. It’s already been quite the journey and the portfolio now also includes Donatoni, Slabsmith, Leica Geosystems, Wodiam, and Tesimag. As a result, the company has rapidly established itself as a specialist partner for stone processors seeking increased efficiency and cutting-edge technology. 

I caught up with Salvatore to find out more about the company’s multi-layered journey and to discover what we can expect from them in the future.

JB: We’re celebrating a huge milestone for Classico Marble and all that you have achieved so far. This has seen the company expand and evolve at quite a rate. Can you tell me about the journey thus far? 

SC: Well, I wouldn’t say that it was an evolution, more a natural opportunity. Italian Luxury Surfaces and Stone Automation both came about because we were already long-term customers and because we already held certain distributorships. We were the right people, in the right place at the right time, really, but Classico has been built on an unswerving focus on crafting high-quality stonemasonry. 

It was my late father Calogero Caruso, who instilled this focus at the heart of the business when he founded it 30 years ago with just one bridge saw and a small team of stonemasons. He understood what specifiers needed, and Classico swiftly became the go-to stonemason for architects, developers and designers in London and the South East. In 2000, he bought Classico’s first CNC machine, and a bridge saw followed in 2002 when we moved to our current premises. My father had introduced AutoCAD to the business by that point and Classico was becoming well-known for the precision and book-matched work that the team could produce due to the digital technology we had started to embrace. Sadly, my father passed away in 2009, but even today the business remains centred around his continual drive to create the highest quality stonework. 

JB: That must have been a difficult time, but the company has gone from strength to strength, even as the UK stone industry has come into difficulty. Can you tell me about some of the key steps along the way?

SC: When I took over the business, I knew that I had to improve the transfer of skills between the different generations of stonemasons and bring in new trainees, so we started an apprenticeship scheme with a local college in 2012, and at one point 20% of our workforce were apprentices. In 2015, we doubled the size of our workshops by taking on the warehouse next door, and a year later, we moved to completely digital production. That wholesale adoption of digital technology meant that we could fabricate every project right, the first time, and maintain the high quality of stonework that we are known for. By 2017, we had two CNC machines and three Donatoni Jet625 bridge saws, and in 2024, we installed the first Donatoni Twin S4Q twin table production line in the UK. Today, we are a team of 35 made up of operators, fitters, sales and office-based team members, working on stone surfaces for projects across England and Wales.

JB: Donatoni Jet625 CNC saws are indeed at the heart of this rich and ever-expanding company narrative, and I’m keen to hear more about what drew you to the machines and how they have helped shape the work you have done since your first purchase.

SC: Classico has bought four Donatoni Jet625s in total over the years. The first was purchased in 2015, and at one point, we had three in our workshops. We were drawn to the Jet625 due to how fast, powerful and compact it is. The size works well for the UK market, where space is at a premium, and the monobloc frame means that it can be easily delivered to almost all locations. Donatoni have even delivered a Jet on a boat down the Grand Canal to one of the last stonemasonry businesses in the heart of Venice.

One big upside to the Donatoni Jet625 is its ability to do 99% of the different processes we need to do when fabricating worktops, which is most of our work at Classico. The entire process is fully automated, and with Donatoni’s Tool+ spindle on them - we have this on ours - a CNC milling tool is always mounted on the machine ready for any cut-outs and avoiding any downtime for tool changing. All in all, it’s a machine capable of seriously increasing the efficiency and productivity of a fabrication workshop.

JB: As Classico Marble has developed over the last 30 years, have the type of clients and projects changed? 

SC: I would say that our work is pretty much the same type as 30 years ago - predominantly worktops in natural stone and quartz for kitchens and bathrooms - we just handle a greater quantity. We’ve always done quite a lot of marble stairs and there is a definite increase in stone cladding for showers and bathrooms. Demand for porcelain worktops has recently gone through the roof. 

In terms of clients, we still work with architects, interior design firms, kitchen and bathroom design studios, and private clients. The number of property developers and housebuilders we work with continues to grow because we can service developments with ease at our factory. For example, we made 1,300 kitchen worktops for Berkeley Homes’ housing development in the former Horlicks factory in Slough.

JB: That’s a lot of worktops! What’s the secret to working at such volume?

SC: Our increased capacity and efficiency is down to the many progressions in stone technology during that period and the investments we have made to keep up-to-date. We’ve always been known for our precision and thoroughness on projects, so that hasn’t changed, but we are now able to achieve that precision faster. Bookmatching is easier than when we had to do it all by eye, templating is quick nowadays and only takes one person, the machines are more precise and operators no longer need to inspect and adjust machines.    

The Classico Marble facility has now become more than a fully operational factory; it’s a premier Donatoni UK training centre where fabricators can come and see the machines and tools in action, get training and ask questions. We are supporting the next generation of stone fabrication professionals and demonstrating our commitment to innovation and excellence.

JB: Are you able to give a sense of the type of clients you are working with at Stone Automation? Has this changed as you’ve added to your offering?

SC: We work with a wide variety of stone processing businesses across the UK, from local worktop fabrication businesses through to large-scale stone suppliers with mines. When it comes to Donatoni, we have a strong customer base of CNC saws across the UK and Ireland, and we are now seeing the new generation of CNC work centres, waterjets, and edge polishers starting to be installed. 

As we have added brands to our portfolio our exposure to the wider stone processing market has increased, and the number of businesses we work with has increased in line with that. That said, in the face of the rising costs of production, efficiency is incredibly important for all our customers, no matter what their scale. All our customers are making operational changes, increasing automation and focusing on boosting efficiency. With our portfolio of brands and our own operational experience, we are perfectly positioned to support them when implementing all of these.

JB: As it’s a milestone year, will the company be doing anything to mark the anniversary? 

SC: In early summer, we made the most of the good weather and the whole Classico team and their families came together to celebrate the 30th anniversary with a big party. Since then, we’ve also launched our own quartz range called Pietra and launched our new brand colours this month for the anniversary.

As for Stone Automation, we launched Stone Automation Ireland in March, celebrated our third anniversary in July, joined the WFF in August, and exhibited at three shows so far this year. We are very proud to represent the five leading brands in our portfolio, and our focus remains to help stone processing businesses achieve great results and improved efficiency. 

Scottish cleantech company Kenoteq has steadily established itself as one of the UK’s most forward-thinking materials manufacturers. Its K-BRIQ is an ultra-low-carbon masonry brick made almost entirely from recycled construction and demolition waste, and is now moving from research to widespread adoption.

Developed over more than a decade at Heriot-Watt University, the K-BRIQ represents a practical response to two of constructions biggest environmental pressures: embodied carbon and material waste. Each brick is unfired, made from nearly 100% recycled material, and produces 95% less embodied carbon than a conventional clay brick.

At Kenoteq’s East Lothian facility, the company now produces around two million K-BRIQs a year, with capacity to double output as demand grows. Plans are underway to replicate the model through regional production hubs, both in the UK and abroad, using local waste sources to reduce transport emissions and strengthen circular supply chains.

The K-BRIQ has also achieved British Board of Agrément (BBA) certification, confirming its performance in strength, durability, and fire resistance, and enabling it to be specified for use across a broad range of structural and architectural applications. The product achieved the highest durability classification and an A-class fire rating for its Medero Dark Grey variant, although the full range includes 12 colours, all produced from recycled pigments.

Beyond the certification, Kenoteq’s innovation lies in its low-energy process, which allows waste streams such as crushed brick, plasterboard, and mortar to be formed into a new masonry material without the need for high-temperature kiln firing. This approach not only reduces emissions but also diverts significant quantities of construction waste from landfill. The company’s co-founder and executive director, Sam Chapman, explains:

“Our aim was to create a technically robust, sustainable brick that performs to the same standards as traditional products. The K-BRIQ shows that circular materials can be commercially viable, scalable, and durable — not experimental.”

Kenoteq’s work has drawn recognition from across the construction and environmental sectors, winning awards from BE-ST, Zero Waste Scotland, and The Royal Academy of Engineering, among others. Early adopter projects already include Scotland’s National Retrofit Centre (BE-ST), Oaklands College in St Albans, and Kaufland’s sustainability-focused hypermarket in Germany.

As the construction industry intensifies its focus on embodied carbon and resource efficiency, Kenoteq’s approach demonstrates how regional waste recovery, precision engineering, and rigorous certification can combine to create viable building materials for a low-carbon future.

“We’re not just cutting emissions,” Chapman adds. “We’re closing the loop — transforming waste into a valuable, high-performance product that can be manufactured locally and used globally.”

Facade and Materials Design Consultancy (FMDC Ltd) is a specialist façade consultancy bringing together design, engineering, and material expertise to deliver well-considered building envelopes. From concept to completion, they work collaboratively with architects, clients, and contractors to ensure façades perform as beautifully as they look. With deep knowledge across stone, glass, and metal, FMDC combine technical rigour with a clear understanding of materials — shaping solutions that are practical, elegant, and built to last. We spoke to FMDC's Lisa Nunn to discover what a typical day in her life looks like:

My day starts…

At the moment, my mornings involve reading my book and a nice warm bowl of porridge with honey. 

I am usually found working…

We have an office in London, really nicely located, so most of our projects are around the corner; however, you won’t often find me sitting at my desk. Most of our projects will require visits to site, be that an inspection of existing stone, viewing slabs for selection at a factory, or even visiting a quarry. These visits are often abroad, and I have been fortunate enough to travel around Europe, South America, the Middle East and China for work. 

My typical day involves…

One of the best things about my job is that there is no typical day. For the last two and a half years, I have been on-site most days and nights! I have actually just completed a job whereby I had to do mostly nightshifts, which involved inspecting stone façades from a BMU or MEWP. I had the most amazing views of St Paul's at night and saw many Supermoons! I do enjoy a day where I can be in the office and catch up with my colleagues; sometimes I don’t see them for weeks on end. Being in the office usually involves writing up the work I have done on-site or reviewing stone technical data and designs from our façade team. All in all, my days are varied and I love that. 

The thing that surprises me most about my job…

I am still learning new ways of how people are using stone; it is an ever-evolving process. We are currently researching the use of structural stone, alongside our façade team, and how elements of the design can reduce the embodied carbon of a project. There are many components to successfully using stone and I am really enjoying my encounters with such a variety of people and projects.

When I was younger, I wanted to be…

I was torn between geology and acting. I loved fossil hunting and volcanoes as a child (I still have my rock collection on display), but I also loved performing on stage. Luckily, I managed to do both - I became a geologist, but have done lots of amateur theatre, and I even have one professional credit to my name!

Something you might not know about me…

I volunteer as a leader with Girlguiding and am our District Commissioner. We run several units weekly, go on days out and residentials, including camping! It’s quite intense, but I like to think we are challenging girls to do their best and giving them skills for the future. 

My most memorable moment at work…

There have been several pinch-me moments in my career, but a few that have stuck with me are flying in a private jet to a quarry in Brazil, speaking at the ZAK World of Façades last year, and winning the Emerging Talent Award at the Stone Show this year.

If I could give one piece of advice to someone considering a career in the stone industry…

My advice would be, do it -  join us! There are many different roles; you can learn new skill sets and develop existing ones. Working in stone will constantly surprise you; there will be opportunities you never even dreamed of, and you’ll be contributing to an industry that has sustainability at its heart. 

For more information about the work Lisa and her team do visit: www.fmdc.co.uk