Producing Turkish marble for 25 years

For the past 25 years, the Ozer Marble Group has been actively involved in the Turkish marble industry. And during this time, the company has continually evolved and expanded. Today, it has grown to include a headquarters in Afyon, 14 quarries, four factories and a U.S. office in Harrison, NJ, which operates under the name of Ozer International LLC.

Ozer's quarries are located in the areas of Milas / Mugla, Gemlik / Helmersan, Eskisehir, Finike, Usak, Burdur and Afyon. Approximately 120,000 tons of natural stone is produced annually from the 14 sites, according to the company. The materials are extracted using diamond wire saws and other modern technology. Active ports in Izmir and Gemlik are the two locations where Ozer loads its stone products.

The four stone-processing plants - located in Afyon, Milas / Mugla and Gemlik / Helmersan - are equipped with the latest state-of-the-art machinery. Combined, these facilities output almost 11 million square feet of stone products per year. Of this total, about 7.5 million square feet is slabs, which are cut on 70-blade gangsaws. Material produced by Ozer is shipped worldwide. Some of the company's recent projects have been in Bangladesh, Israel, Singapore, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S.

Equipment at the factories includes:

8 Simec S/T marble cutting machines
2 Italian-Gudlielmi splitting machines
2 Simec bridge saws
2 Catrac cutting machines
2 Simec slab polishing machines
Simec blockcutters
4 Simec tile lines
2 beveling and polishing machines
2 Zafferani table machines
4 side-cutting machines
2 lathes
2 3-ton Komatsu forklifts

The U.S. operation

In order to market to the U.S., the Ozer Marble Group decided to open a local office. As a result, Ozer International LLC was started by Sualp Yurteri in 1998. Sales began in December of that year.

Harrison, NJ, was chosen as the new site for its proximity to New York City. Yurteri is the president of Ozer International, while his wife, F. Gonca Yurteri, is the vice president. This location includes a 32,000-square-foot warehouse, which houses various sizes and types of stone - ranging from 3â„8- x 3â„8-inch mosaics to large slabs.

Ozer International has supplied natural stone to numerous commercial projects within the U.S. In Manhattan, the Beekman International Center, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Marmara Manhattan Hotel and Mercedes-Benz dealership are to name a few. Additionally, the company has provided material for the Intercontinental Hotel in Houston, TX, the Marriott Hotel in San Francisco, CA, and Stone Hedge Inn in Boston, MA.

As Group Editorial Director of Stone World, Contemporary Stone & Tile Design and TILE Magazine, Jennifer Richinelli has been covering the stone and tile industries since she launched her career at BNP Media in 1996. Throughout her tenure, she has visited and reported on numerous national and international quarries, stone fabrication shops, trade shows and other industry events. She has also collaborated with members of the A&D community, including many renowned architects, on articles about designing with stone and tile.