Earlier this year, I took a very unique trip with a trade delegation of almost 30 North American members of the Stone Fabricators Alliance. Stretching from Bologna to Verona to Milan — and, seemingly, all points in between — the caravan visited the full gamut of technology suppliers. We saw the latest developments in large-scale machinery, table saws, CNC routers, CNC bridge saws, portable routers, grinders, tooling, adhesives and sealers. Moreover, we saw state-of-the-art technology in operation across the country, from massive slab plants to smaller fabrication shops.
Each day of our tour through Italy was quite long — more than 12 hours of visits in some cases — but from the moment we walked into our first manufacturing facility, there was one thing that struck me about this particular group of fabricators, which represented shops of all sizes. They spoke with a real passion for the craft. At each stop, virtually all of them had a list of questions about the various types of technology and how they could utilize it in their operations. Whether it was a floor grinder that could also be used to texture slabs or a new adhesive for mitering, it seemed that every member of the group was front and center — eager to get a look at what the suppliers had to offer. This went on all day, every day; from the first visit to the last.