TURKEY -- With approximately 250 varieties of marble, limestone, travertine and onyx being quarried and exported all around the world, Turkey has become a leading producer of natural stone. Recent studies confirm this natural richness of the territory, proving that the current supplies of travertine, marble and onyx in Turkey amounts to about 13 billion tons, which is almost 30% of the whole world's marble supply.

The Turkish entrepreneurs who have been quarrying and fabricating these materials have acknowledged the technological innovations in stone-working machinery that have aided the development of their factories. In particular, Pedrini, in its more than 40 years of history, has significantly aided this development, according to the company.

The high demand for standard Pedrini modular products, above all from the U.S. and Japan, has led several Turkish companies to mass-produce tile products. In 1982, Hasan Kose, who had been a leading producer of Kilim carpets, thought to diversify his business with the Pedrini “Modulmermer” system for producing standard-sized tiles in Isparta. The system is still working today with the shortened name “Modulmer.”

According to Pedrini, Afyon, Turkey, a mining district of a quality of marble known as “Afyon Yellow,” was the first “hotbed” of a great mass development with large-scale production. In the late 1980s, thanks to a continuous technological development of the production of tile lines in this area, Pedrini supplied systems to Afyon Mermer, Orucoglu, Mahes, Reis, Reisoglu and Tureks.

The areas of Denizli, Mugla, Bilecik, Izmir, Bursa, Eskiseir, Diyaribakir and Elazig soon began to develop its quarries as well. In fact, in Bilecik, Yetkin Berberoglu, sensed the great export potential of colored marble and quit his original activity as a metal container manufacturer and placed a heavy investment in a complete Pedrini system. The company, Tekmar, was equipped with six Pedrini block cutters and two complete finishing lines. Today, Tekmar exports its products all around the world, and has reached, together with its subsidiaries, a productive capacity of approximately 65,000 square feet of tiles and slabs per day, reports Pedrini.

Another company that has experienced success with the assistance from Pedrini machinery is Tureks, who specializes in the production of travertine products. The company's factory is equipped with specific Pedrini lines for travertine, suitably studied and manufactured to improve the productive and qualitative results. This skill has enabled Tureks to conquer a leading position on the worldwide market, reports Pedrini.

In total, more than 70 leading companies in Turkey, including Alacakaya, Faber, Hukmupeker, Oztek and Travertine Bros have chosen Pedrini machines, which have assisted in building their factories from the 1980s until today. They have expanded their own range of machines and resining and polishing lines for slabs featured by innovative and exclusive technologies.