Founded in 1990 in Mimoso do Sul, southern Espírito Santo, Brazil, Cajugram has developed a structure that allows it to supply the domestic and foreign market, and it has made a name for itself in the worldwide stone sector. To maintain its level of success, the company strives to establish quarrying sites for new materials while also upgrading its stoneworking capabilities.

The principal owners of Cajugram are Otavio Rodrigues Junqueira, Valdecyr Robert Viguini, Nelson Veguini and Jovercy Robert Viguini. Currently with head offices in Espírito Santo, Cajugram is also located in the midwestern region of Brazil in an industrial complex in Luziânia, in the State of Goiás, and a tile store in Brasília, the capital of Brazil.

In all, Cajugram employs 260 workers, including 195 in the factory and 65 in the quarries.

Quarrying operations

Among the development of Cajugram over the years, the company is continually searching for quarry sites of materials that will appeal to an international marketplace. “Our geology department receives samples of stones all over Brazil,” explained Daniel Junqueira of Cajugram. “We first make an analysis of the material, and if there is interest in it, our technician goes to the site to conduct deeper research through sounding prospection. After this, we legalize the site together with the DNPM - the organization of the government responsible for this.”

Some quarry sites of interest are as follows:

• Versace and Kilimanjaro granite, located at Candido Sales, State of Bahia - 12 workers

• White Alaska granite, located at Barra De São Francisco, State of Espírito Santo - 10 workers

• Ipanema Beige granite, located at Muniz Freire, State of Espírito Santo - 19 workers

• Giallo Renoir/Monet/Portinari granite, located at Itaobim, State of Minas Gerais - four workers

• Brazilian Black granite, located at Aracruz, State of Espírito Santo - 10 workers

• Santa Cecilia granite, located at Agua Doce do Norte, State of Espírito Santo - 10 workers

Stones are extracted using hydraulic hammers, and the company recently began using wire saws to cut the blocks, which increases overall productivity.

In all, the quarries produces 750 cubic meters of material per month. Of this, 10% is exported in block form to China; 40% is processed into slabs, tiles and cut-to-size pieces for the domestic market; and 50% is processed into slabs, tiles and cut-to-size pieces to the foreign market. Among exports of finished products, 40% is shipped to the to U.S, Canada and Mexico, 40% to Latin America and 10% to Asia.

Stone processing

Cajugram’s factory has also undergone expansion, and it now sits on an area of nearly 475,000 square feet, with a built area of nearly 195,000 square feet. Capacity stands at 592,000 square feet (55,000 square meters) per month, and it is currently shipping around 70 containers per month.

Some of the most recent investments in the stone processing operation include a Coch edge finishing machine from Argentina and the building of a new facility for fabrication of tiles, cut-to-size work and countertops. The company also installed a new filter press for sludge and wastewater treatment.

Other equipment includes 17 gangsaws, three polishing lines, three bridge saws, one Comandulli edge finishing machine from Italy, one Contourbreton CNC stoneworking center, two tile lines and one semi-automatic resin line.

For years, Cajugram has represented itself on the world stage at stone industry events such as Marmomacc in Italy and Coverings in the U.S. as well as the Cachoeiro Stone Fair and Vitória Stone Fair in Brazil.

Among some recent cut-to-size projects, Cajugram has supplied stone for the Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and the Bay Adelaide Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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