The Marble Institute of America and Building Stone Institute (MIA+BSI) held a one-day study tour of factories in the Shuitou Fujian stone region during the Xiamen Stone Fair, in Xiamen, China. “Past president Jonathan Zanger of Walker Zanger and current president David Castellucci of Kenneth Castellucci & Associates, utilized their vast contact list to link us with leading companies in the Xiamen region to set up the full-day tour,” said Jim Hieb, CEO of MIA+BSI. “That personal connect was so key as this was our first attempt to have a study tour in China. We also wanted to showcase a diverse list of companies to visit because that is what makes a quality study tour. We have a long history of hosting study tours so the thought of facilitating one outside North America was intriguing and one that our attendees were excited to participate. Also, each host company was absolutely gracious hosts with each tour.”
The group of 25 visited four different facilities in the Shuitou Fujian stone region. First was Best Cheer to tour their logistic center for blocks and marble slabs. The facility was established in 2006 and is approximately 100,000 square feet, holding 1.2 million square meters of slabs. The building includes a block production facility, with 12 gangsaws and a production line for marble.