As a family business with Sardinian roots, Ratti Gruppo has been quarrying stone since 1969. The enterprise is comprised of four companies that are all family owned and work together as a group to maintain a successful operation. While three of the companies are based in Sardinia, a fourth one - LMPA di Ratti - is in Tivoli, Italy. As a stone supplier and fabricator of cut-to-size pieces, the company also promotes Daino Reale limestone, which is an exclusive product of Ratti Gruppo.

Founded by Cesare Ratti, Ratti Gruppo was successfully launched as a fabricator of Roman travertine products. To capitalize on a growing segment of the industry, the company soon acquired marble quarries in Orosei (NU), Sardinia, and modernized its fabrication plant in Villanova (RM), Sardinia.

LMPA di Ratti opened its doors in Tivoli, Italy, at the same time that Ratti Gruppo was formed. The company focuses its efforts on buying and selling travertine. Additionally, it is a fabricator of customized work. A primary export market for LMPA di Ratti is Spain, although the materials are then resold to markets around the world, according to company owners.

Quarrying a rare stone

The company's specialty product, Daino Reale limestone, is extracted from Ratti's quarry in Orosei. In Italian, “Daino” means deer, and according to the company's owners, the stone's varying shades of beige are similar to those found on a deer's coat, which explains how the limestone came to be named.

Because Daino Reale is a relatively fragile stone, it is resin treated to increase strength and durability. At the time of Stone World's visit to LMPA di Ratti's plant, a new Protec resin line was in the process of being installed. Once in operation, the resin line will process slabs in six hours using resin products from Tenax.

Additional fabrication equipment in the facility includes a Protec CNC machine, a Levibreton slab polishing line, which also performs bushhammered and brushed finishes, and a recently purchased Barsanti LCA 200 slab polishing line. Production will be increased greatly by the new Barsanti line, which is able to process 60 slabs in four hours, according LMPA di Ratti.

For processing blocks, LMPA di Ratti has five gangsaws at its plant in Tivoli. The group also has seven in another location and five more in yet another factory.

LMPA di Ratti works in conjunction with the other companies within Ratti Gruppo to build a reputable name for itself in the stone industry. Among the group's three plants, production is a little more than 900,000 square feet per month. Daino Reale limestone and Roman travertine - as well as other marbles and granites - are offered in varying sizes and thicknesses and are ideal for many applications.