Initially, Stone Tech International of Bangalore, India, was created by Bhadravathi Devaraj in 1989 to serve as a consultant to Export Oriented Units (E.O.U.) in India that were looking to purchase state-of-the-art machines for processing stone blocks. Today, Devaraj owns the company with his son Arvind Devaraj, and it recently established its own 100% E.O.U. for processing blocks.
“Our visionary ideas have contributed significantly in bringing only the best in the class of machineries and consumables to Indian companies,” stated Bhadravathi Devaraj. “Since 2003, I have been in strategic association with Bideseimpianti in Italy, and sold several of their monowire machines for block cutting in India.”
Additionally, Devaraj spent three years visiting plants in Canada, Brazil, Spain and Italy that were using a Bideseimpianti Gold-60 multiwire saw. He went with the purpose of evaluating the feasibility of the system for Indian companies.
“I then decided to lead the way in bringing the first Gold-60 multiwire diamond sawing system from Bideseimpianti to India,” stated Devaraj. “This innovative technology can produce one container of sawn slabs in an average of eight hours.”
In June 2006, Stone Tech International developed its own 100% E.O.U. at Malur Industrial Estate -- just on the outskirts of Bangalore. The block squaring system and block-tilting table from Bideseimpianti were installed first, along with the gantry crane for moving blocks and an overhead crane for moving slabs.
“The first block of granite was successfully cut on March 13, 2007 -- marking the commencement of full production mode for the Gold-60 multiwire system at Stone Tech International,” stated Devaraj. And the quality of a cut using the Gold-60 diamond wire system is within 0.5 mm tolerance, making for slabs with optimal tolerance, according to the company.
Further adding to the state-of-the-art facility is a Breton 17-head Levibreton slab polishing system loaded with diamond abrasives, which is used “to get the finest surface finish,” according to Stone Tech International. This system is equipped with automatic loading and unloading of slabs to speed up the polishing process. The surface of the stone after being cut by the diamond wire is 120 grit, thereby, resulting in 30% lower polishing cost as well as time, said Arvind Devaraj.
“We have realized our vision of bringing innovative diamond multiwire sawing technology to India,” said Bhadravathi Devaraj. “This is an eco-friendly and energy-saving technology with 10 times higher production compared to conventional gangsaw systems, thereby helping eco-friendly Stone Tech save nearly 3 million units of power annually.”
The company processes all Indian colors as well as select Brazilian colors to offer a diverse range to its European and American clientele. Blocks are obtained upon orders, thereby enabling a “just-in-time” system that can function smoothly due to high productivity efficiencies of the diamond multiwire system, according to the company.
Stone Tech will brand the slabs from its production line as “Diamond Touch Slabs,” since they are squared and cut using diamond wire technology and also polished with diamond abrasives. “The installed capacity of this 100% Export Oriented Unit is presently at 3 million square feet of polished slabs, equivalent to around 100 containers every month,” stated Arvind Devaraj.
Additionally, Stone Tech International recently invested in an Absolute Black granite quarry in the Chamarajnagar area. The site is equipped with the latest hydraulic drilling equipment and large-scale machinery for maneuvering blocks. There is also a Gerodrill 200 drilling unit from Perfora in Italy. The quarry and factory are operated by technically qualified engineering graduates who have been trained in Italy, according to Devaraj.
The company’s global marketing operations are handled by Arvind Devaraj, who has set up warehouses in strategic locations. His primary focus will be North America and Europe. He holds a Masters degree in Construction Management from Penn State University and an MBA from Drexel University. “Our aim is to build a global consortium approach to maximize the benefits to our customers,” he said.