Stone fabricators, MBP Surfaces and Rossi Stone Surfaces have appointed a new management team to support the groups ambitious growth plans. Following the merger of the UK fabricators in 2024 as part of the HLD Group, the brands have been supplying stone surfaces to customers for more than six decades. 

Rossi Stone Surfaces co-founder, Paul Hogan, has recently taken on the managing director role of both companies. Having co-founded Rossi Stone back in 1999, Paul has built up a vast customer base in his 26 years of trading. 

Tom Bendell will continue his role as group operations director. Tom has family roots in MBP Surfaces which was founded by his father and uncle back in 1989. Tom joined the company 14 years ago as an apprentice installer. Since then he has worked in the technical drawing and sales team, before stepping up to oversee the day to day operations of the company. 

The group have also recently appointed Guy Rawstorne who joins as group sales director. Guy has a wealth of industry knowledge and was most recently sales director at Caesarstone UK and ROI.

Managing director, Paul Hogan comments:  “It’s an exciting time to be a part of MBP Surfaces & Rossi Stone Surfaces. Both businesses have long and proud histories and are respected and trusted throughout the industry, and rest assured, we plan to keep it this way. To support our ambitious growth plans, going forward we will utilise our Yorkshire and Enfield manufacturing sites to strengthen our product offering and enhance our service proposition for our customers.”
 

Machinery specialist, Stone and Glass Group based in Bridgend has announced it is now the official agency for Pellegrini Meccanica in the UK and Ireland.

Stone and Glass Group, founded by Phil Birchall has been operating since 2007 beginning with selling used glass machinery. Ten years later, the company entered the stone industry and has seen significant growth to become one of the premier machinery suppliers in the UK and Ireland. 

The partnership with Pellegrini marks a new era for the company. Pellegrini has more than 60 years of expertise and is a global leader in natural stone processing technologies, offering high-performance wire saws, block cutters, polishing lines, and quarrying solutions.
This partnership strengthens its commitment to delivering the best machinery and support to the stone industry.

Find out more at: www.stoneandglassgroup.co.uk 

Former Stone Specialist editor, Eric Bignell reports on The European Stone Festival which is returning to the UK this year. It will be held 24-25 May at The Minster in Halifax, West Yorkshire.

The annual European Stone Festival was to have been held in Halifax in 2022 but became a casualty of the Covid lockdowns. However, it was always intended that it should come to Halifax as soon as possible and this year it will. It is the third time it has been held in the UK (it was in Canterbury in 2003 and Lincoln in 2012).

The Festival was instigated by the stonemasonry college in Frieburg in 1999 and is still overseen by the college. It has grown in popularity as it has developed and wherever it goes always attracts well over 100 carvers and crowds of visitors. Anyone who would like to come and see the carvers at work and enjoy the food and entertainment that will accompany the carving event are welcome from 10am to 6pm on the Saturday and Sunday of the Festival.

This year the number of carvers had to be restricted to 120 because that is the maximum who could be accommodated, although Helen Jukes, who is the powerhouse from the West Riding Stonecarving Association (WRSA) pulling everything together, says there were a lot more who have missed the boat because applications were accepted on a first-come-first-served basis. Most of the carvers taking part this year come from mainland Europe, although there is a strong contingent of about 50 from the UK.

At the conclusion of the European Stone Festival the works produced by the carvers during the weekend will be auctioned, so visitors will have a chance to take one of the works home with them. The stone they will be carving this time is the limestone from Johnston Quarry Group’s Creeton Quarry in Lincolnshire.

As well as the carvers, there will be the stands of some of the companies associated with stone carving selling their products. There will be a selection of food on sale with Dimitri the magician to amaze and amuse diners. A musical background will be provided by Phil Hayley & His Comets, the Elland silver youth band and the roaming Ski Band.
 

Find out more at: https://stonecarvingfestival.uk/ and https://stonecarvingassociation.org/

Breton has released its market forecast for the next five years – Towards 2030 – Big Trends in the Fabrication Industry. The report offers insight into the groundbreaking innovations transforming the industry with the aim of helping businesses embrace safer, smarter and more efficient processes. Topics include: silica-free materials; advanced printing technologies; innovative ceramics and generative AI.

Silica-free materials
The report highlights the need for proper controls to minimise the risk when working with products containing crystalline silica and offers Breton's products including Bioquartz and Lapitec sintered stone as safer alternatives.

Printing
Printing on quartz surfaces is, says Breton 'the leading innovation, greatly expanding creative options for producers'. Breton Chromia's digitally printed slabs have 1,200 native dpi printing resolution.

Ceramic Materials
According to the report 'ceramics are notoriously delicate during fabrication, making precision cutting and processing essential to avoid breakage and waste.' Breton Trinity 5-axis CNC is feted as offering a cutting process that is fast, versatile and reliable.

Generative AI
Breton introduce Pulse and Sapiens systems to harness the potential of Artifical Intelligence.

To read the report in full, visit: https://publuu.com/flip-book/197672/1708336/page/1
 

Lapicida has opened its new London showroom in Pimlico’s design district to showcase its comprehensive range of natural stone, including genuine antique reclaimed stone and fine Italian porcelain.  

“We have waited a long time for the right location, and when this space in the Pimlico design district became available, I knew immediately that this was the place to be,” says Jason Cherrington, managing director of Lapicida. “We are delighted to be located amongst other inspirational interiors brands, and it is ideal for interior designers and customers to cover all design bases within one area. Our showroom manager Nicola Kemplay and her excellent team are ready to show London what we have to offer, and we’re very excited to be a part of the design community here.”

There is a dedicated area to display Lapicida’s reclaimed antique stone floors, including examples of its English flagstone, Barr de Montpelier and Lyon Terracotta. Lapicida’s custom-cut service transforms these historic floors from irregular pieces of antique stone into dimensioned pieces, making them suitable for modern use. These are shown alongside a collection of limestone floors created in partnership with English Heritage, inspired by properties within English Heritage’s care.

Also on display is a selection of solid marble sinks, fabricated by Lapicida’s own CNC machine. These include marble Belfast sinks and shallower basin designs in honed and antiqued finishes. Lapicida's expert stonemasons can transform stone into bas-relief tiles, staircases, balustrades, full scale statuary, book-matched panels, custom-designed inlays, intricate mosaics and more. The showroom contains a dedicated meeting area where Lapicida’s project consultants can advise on anything: from the products sold from stock to complex one-off designs and manufacturing projects.

The company's new Composition collection will take centre stage and is exclusive to the London showroom. This luxury stone surface is created with a combination of monochromatic natural stones including travertine, marble and basalt. These have been cut into geometric shapes and precisely fitted into a unique pattern to create a striking statement design for floors and walls. Also exclusive to the London Lapicida showroom is a collection of handmade terracotta tiles featuring reliefs of colourful and bold geometric shapes.

An ‘indoor-outdoor’ room is dedicated to the Ornamenti collection by Lapicida. This includes outdoor ornaments, such as artisan-made Italian terracotta planters and authentic French Biot Jars.

LPE has announced the merger of three industry-leading companies: Laser Products Europe, Omni Cubed Europe, and Leading Production Equipment. This strategic union marks the formation of a new entity, LPE GROUP LTD. 

LPE GROUP combines the strengths, expertise, and innovative capabilities of the three companies to better serve its customers and partners. The merger will enable the company to provide a more comprehensive range of products and services, enhance its operational efficiencies, and drive forward its commitment to excellence and innovation. 

For its valued customers, the merger means a single point of contact for all their needs and simplified invoicing processes.

The unified team is committed to continuing the high standards of quality and service that customers have come to expect. LPE believe that the merger will bring significant benefits to customers, employees, and suppliers, and look forward to embarking on this exciting new chapter together. 

The new company is confident that it will set new benchmarks in the industry and deliver exceptional value to all partners. 

Hard landscaping materials supplier London Stone has opened its ninth showroom, in Bletchley, Milton Keynes. Its showrooms are open to both trade and public customers, and are open Monday to Saturday. 

Alongside displays of porcelain, natural stone, and clay paving, composite decking, cladding, pergolas and planters, complimentary samples, refreshments and customer Wi-Fi are available across all sites.

Craig Nester, director of Bedfordshire-based landscapers, Habitat Landscapes, said of the showroom: "It’s great to see this showroom in the area, we’ve been crying out for it! If we want to send clients to the showroom, we can stay on site, safe in the knowledge that the team will look after them."

Sales director, Stu Williams says, "We are thrilled to have opened such an inspiring showroom in the MK area. The new showroom is our most compact, but packs a lot into the 190m2 display area. We look forward to welcoming trade and retail clients from Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, and Hertfordshire.” 

Brachot has launched a new quartz slab material developed using patented Breton Technology. Known as Unistone UniQ, it features a high percentage of quartz without substitutes like feldspar or glass.

The company says that Unistone UniQ will eliminate health risks associated with respirable crystalline silica dust (RCS). Unistone UniQ utilises amorphous silica, a crystalline silica-free structure that can eliminate hazardous dust production during processing. It has been produced with Breton’s patented BioQuartz technology.

It is manufactured with recycled materials and a zero-waste approach to be more environmentally friendly and is said to be more scratch resistant than traditional quartz. The product can be worked with traditional tools and is NSF-certified for food preparation areas.

Founded in 1901, Brachot is a manufacturer and supplier of natural stone and blended materials, including ceramics, quartz composite, and terrazzo. The family-run business operates 20 company-owned quarries, seven production units, and fifteen distribution centres across Europe and Africa. 

National Highways is currently working on the A417 Missing Link scheme, creating 5.5km of new dual carriageway between Gloucester and Cirencester. As part of this project, the team are painstakingly building 7.5kms of dry stone wall along the route. This wall will be incorporated into the scheme to help the road blend into the landscape, protect sites of special scientific interest, such as where wildlife lives, and reinstate old walls that have fallen into disrepair. 

The majority of the dry stone wall will follow alongside the new A417, with other sections along parts of the B4070 and Barrow Wake car park.
A team of 12 masons who were taught how to construct Cotswold stone walls by experts at the Dry Stone Walling Association have been on site since early 2024. They expect to be finished in mid-2026. In the summer, the scheme is hoping to take on an apprentice so the skills can be passed on to the next generation.

Steve Foxley, project director for the A417 Missing Link, said: “Our work on this vital scheme goes beyond simply building a new road, but also helping to preserve and enhance the landscape.

“We’re delighted to be able to support such worthwhile projects which will help to support and reconnect the A417 with local heritage and the landscape whilst also helping to keep traditional skills alive. Our project team has already started working with dry stone wall specialists using traditional methods to build new sections of wall alongside the new road. Visitors can already see the fruits of their hard work – and it is hard work!”

Bernard McEnroe, managing director of Master Stone Masons UK, said: "We’re delighted to be involved in this incredible project, helping to preserve the timeless beauty and heritage of the Cotswolds. Dry stone walling is an age-old craft that not only defines the landscape but also embodies the skill, dedication, and craftsmanship passed down through generations. At Master Stone Masons, we take immense pride in ensuring that this tradition continues to thrive, maintaining the authenticity and character of these historic structures.

"A project of this significance demands the highest standards, and we are incredibly grateful for the invaluable guidance and expertise of the Dry Stone Walling Association (DSWA). Their dedication to excellence has been instrumental in ensuring that the quality of the work meets the rigorous standards expected of this traditional craft. Preserving heritage is at the heart of what we do, and we are proud to play our part in keeping the Cotswolds' iconic landscape intact for future generations."