Egyptian producer serves a worldwide marketplace
In all, the company licenses 40 quarries. In the marble sector, this includes Galala, Samah, Sunny, Brescia Sinai, Goldi, Rosa Alaki and New Beige. Granites include: Bianco Halayeb, Rosa Sinai, Karnak Grey, Ghiandone Aswan, Ghazal, Sahara Brown, Red Aswan, Nero Aswan, Red Nefertary, Rosa Kali and Rosa Hoody.
Markets and expansion
Marmonil exports products to many countries throughout the world, mainly in Europe, The Far East, The Middle East and the Americas, with about 10 to 15% exported to the U.S. market. The company is currently exporting 100 to 120 containers of slabs and finished tiles per month. The work force consists of about 650 people between factories and quarries, including 20 engineers (each with their own team for machine maintenance). The factories and warehouses cover an area of 152,000 square meters (almost 1.65 million square feet), including a covered area of 12,000 square meters (almost 130,000 square feet). Overall the company owns and operates three factories in Egypt.Marmonil Italy was established in 1985 and is mainly specialized in trading all types of marble and granite. The company imports directly from producing countries such as India, Brazil, Spain, Norway, Greece, Finland, Morocco, Turkey, Egypt and others. The warehouse covers an area of 3,500 square meters (almost 38,000 square feet) in Carrara, at the center of the region’s stone production.
Marmonil Mirasco USA has been serving the North America market since 2001, and it recently opened its new affiliate, Marmi Natural Stone with a warehouse in Atlanta, GA, to stock Egyptian products to support operations and provide fast delivery.
Marmonil & Egymar UAE was established in 2005 as a trading company to serve the Gulf area and supply the growing demand there for marble and granite. Its warehouse is located in Jebel Aly.
Machinery and production capacity
Overall quarry production is approximately 25,000 cubic meters per year. Extraction equipment in the quarries includes Fantini chainsaws and diamond wire saws as well as a broad range of heavy moving and loading equipment from companies such as Caterpillar and Daewood. These include “tipping trucks,” front loaders, excavators and bulldozers, among other machinery.At the fabricating facilities, equipment for blocks and slabs includes: 10 Gaspari Menotti granite gangsaws; four marble gangsaws (two from Gaspari Menotti and two from Alpe); three granite polishing lines for slabs (one Gaspari Menotti and two Breton); one Gaspari Menotti marble polishing line for slabs with automated resin application and large-scale driers; one Pellegrini bushhammering, flaming and sandblasting machine; six Pellegrini diamond wire saws for squaring blocks; and one Alpe monoblade saw for squaring blocks and cutting thick pieces.
Overall production for marble slab sawing is 750,000 square meters per year, while marble polishing capacity is 500,000 square meters per year.
For tile production, the company has two Gaspari Menotti blockcutters for granite and seven blockcutters for marble (six from Gaspari Menotti and one from Alpe). After blocks have been processed into strips, there are three machines for splitting strips, and two complete lines for tile processing. These lines include automated machines for polishing, cross-cutting, calibration and chamfering as well as a UV furnace for curing resin product on the tiles. Elements of the tile lines have been supplied by Gaspari Menotti, Pedrini, Barberan and OAB. For tumbled tile production, the company has two tumbling machines from Kromass.
Additionally, the company is currently finishing installation of its new tile processing line, with state-of-the-art epoxy resin treatment, responding to U.S. market preferences.
Marmonil’s production of standard granite tiles stands at 60,000 square meters per year, while marble tile production stands at 1,000,000 square meters per year.
In addition to tiles and slabs, Marmonil has also enjoyed success working in the cut-to-size sector for architectural stonework. Equipment for this work includes five bridge saws (two from Gregori, one from Breton and two from GMM); four smaller cutting machines for cutting slabs into cut-to-size pieces; a 19-head Montresor edge polishing machine; two Gregori polishing machines for thick marble and granite slabs; two diamond wire saws for shaping and profiling, including one from Pellegrini; a Tencovema contouring machine for vanity and kitchen tops; a CMS/Brembana Maxima 5-axis CNC machine for contouring, milling and carving; a Prussiani CNC lathe; a shaping and polishing machine for column capitals, bases and cladding; and two Flow waterjet machines.
Additionally, the factory operations utilize mobile, gantry and overhead cranes, forklifts, air compressors and other transportation and handling equipment.
Within Egypt, finished projects have included the Intercontinental Hotel Cairo, multiple stations of the Cairo Underground Metro, the Hotel Ritz Carlton Sharm El Sheikh, the Hotel Hilton Dahab, the Grand Hyatt Hotel and the Four Seasons Hotel, Nile Plaza-Cairo. Projects in the Middle East have included the Shangrila Hotel in Dubai and the Palm Islands, also in Dubai -- among many others.
In the U.S., completed projects have included the Acqualina high-rise condominium complex in Miami, FL; the Dallas Galleria Mall in Dallas, TX; the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, NV; the Turnberry Tower high-rise condominium complex in Las Vegas, NV; and many others.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
