This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Stone World logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Stone World logo
  • Home
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Digital Editions
  • CSTD Magazine
  • Topics
    • Fabricator Case Studies
    • Fabricator How-to
    • Large Scale Production
    • Stone in Architecture
    • More
  • Products
    • Featured Products
  • Statistics
  • Web Exclusives
  • Multimedia
  • Stone Guide
  • More
    • Calendar of Events
    • Classified Ads
    • Custom Content and Marketing Services
    • eNewsletters
    • Industry Links
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Market Research
    • Polls
    • Stone Industry Education
    • Stone World Store
Home » Absolute zero?
Stone Column

Absolute zero?

March 1, 2009
Michael Reis
Reprints
No Comments

OK, so “absolute zero” is actually a scientific term unrelated to the business world. These past few months, I often feel like it is the level of business in today’s stone industry - or perhaps the latest closing figure for the stock market (as in “The Dow closed today at absolute zero.”)

Seriously, when I ask people what kind of business people are doing, many of them say, “Absolutely nothing. No one is coming to the phone, and no one is buying anything.” So does that mean that people walk into their office, sit down and fruitlessly attempt to sell stone until 5 o’clock every day? I know business is bad these days - extremely bad - but has it reached the point of “absolute zero?”

Each month, Stone World publishes the monthly stone import statistics recorded by U.S. Customs. For the second half of 2008, they were typically down by 20% to 30% each month compared to a year earlier. For example, in November of 2008 (the most recent month recorded), the U.S. imported $94.04 million worth of granite - down from $123.48 million in November of 2007. This marks a decline of 23.8%.

In the category for marble in the same month, the decline was even greater. The U.S. imported $96.65 million worth of marble in November in 2007, but only $69.2 million this past November - a dip of 28.3%.

These are disturbing figures, especially when you consider that annual growth for the stone industry routinely topped 30% per year until only a couple of years ago. Moreover, based on conversations I have had with major distributors, the decline in stone imports to the U.S. is expected to worsen for the first part of 2009.

We all know that business is terrible, and that this recession is unlike any that most of us have seen in our lifetimes. If you pick up a newspaper or turn on your television, this will be made abundantly clear. You don’t need me to tell you this.

What I want to know is this: Who bought the $163.24 million worth of granite and marble in November? Better still: Who is buying the granite countertops I see being driven up and down the highways every day? And on the international front: Who bought the containers of granite I saw being loaded in the stoneworking plants in Brazil last month? I assume they’re on the way to someplace, right?

I know I am simplifying things, but the fact of the matter is that while granite and marble imports have significantly declined, they currently stand at levels that are very similar to 2004. And as I recall, no one was jumping out of windows back then.

I realize that our collective business has taken a huge step backwards, and no one wants to regress five years in a relatively short amount of time. Moreover, the playing field is more crowded at all levels - quarries, slab producers, fabricators, distributors, etc. - so there are more people looking for a slice of a much smaller pie. All of this can be devastating for individual firms.

As I said, I know things are bad out there, but my point here is that the industry hasn’t hit “absolute zero” - nor will it. Distributors (and some fabricators) are importing stone, and homeowners are buying granite countertops.

On the machinery end, fabricators are buying new equipment. In this issue of Stone World, we are rolling out a new section entitled “Technology Investments” (pages 108-109), where we feature stoneworking companies around North America that have added new technology to their operations. In contacting different vendors to participate in this feature, it was refreshing to see that the response we got wasn’t: “Sorry, we didn’t sell anything to anyone.”

Subscribe to Stone World Magazine

Recent Articles by Michael Reis

Positive showing for StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas

Bridging the past and future of Bluestone

Reviving a classic quarry

Union Marble of Westbury, NY, is equipped for high-end fabrication

"Guardians" sculpture in New York City is example of one-of-a-kind fabrication on display in Manhattan

Related Articles

Stone Column: 2008 U.S. stone imports = $2.262 billion

Stick to baseball, Matt

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • Stone World Subscriptions
  • CSTD Subscriptions
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Proliner digital templating by Prodim


IceStone Featured Product

Poll

Employees

How many employees do you have?
View Results Poll Archive

Fabricator of the Year 2019 voting promo


classifieds- for sale

Stone World Magazine

SW1219_Cover.jpg

2019 December

In this issue of Stone World Magazine, read about the latest Marmomac show, see how Margraf marble was used throughout an Sicilian home, view the machine of the month, PowerROC D60 from Epiroc,and much more!
View More Create Account

Contemporary Stone & Tile Design Magazine

01-CSTD2019Fall_Cover.jpg

2019 Fall

In this issue of Contemporary Stone & Tile Design magazine, read about a surprise kitchen makeover, the 2019 Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition winner in the residential category, and much more!

View More Create Account
  • Resources
    • List Rental
    • Partners
    • Privacy Policy
  • Want More
    • Stone World
    • CSTD
    • Connect
    • Survey And Sample
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with Us
    • Advertise
  • Subscribe
    • Subscribe to Stone World
    • Subscribe to CSTD

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing