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Erdoğan Akbulak, chairman and co-founder of Silkar Stone, passed away on January 12, 2026. He played a defining role in transforming Turkish natural stone from a supply-driven commodity into a value-oriented architectural material.

A major investigative report published on March 12, 2026 by KFF Health News and CBS News has drawn renewed national attention to the silicosis epidemic among engineered stone countertop fabrication workers and to a federal bill that would shield slab manufacturers from worker lawsuits.

Coverings will feature numerous displays of products from a range of suppliers, including stone, tile, fabrication equipment, tooling and digital templating.

The Stone Fabricator’s Alliance's two-day workshop welcomed more than 110 attendees, including fabricators from across the industry and more than 35 sponsoring suppliers, creating a full schedule of education, demonstrations and networking.

The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) presented a shop licensing and certification program to California workplace safety regulators, positioning the industry-led proposal as a practical alternative to a physician-backed petition calling for an outright ban on engineered stone fabrication in the state.

Once you can see the black hole, you can close it. And when you do, the marketing leads you are already paying for start turning into revenue for your fabrication business instead of disappearing.

California's Silicosis Training, Outreach and Prevention (STOP) Act, the most aggressive state-level regulation targeting silica exposure in the stone countertop fabrication industry, took full effect on January 1, 2026, after Governor Gavin Newsom signed it into law on October 13, 2025.

Dry-Treat demonstrated how to prep and seal quartzite for a successful installation.

The real question is not whether artificial intelligence matters to fabricators. It is where to begin in a way that produces measurable financial results.

Geoffrey Gran of The Countertop Factory (TCF) Midwest & Southwest and Robert Wiemann of Sarto Countertops in Saint Marys, KS, shared insight into how they navigated a path of expansion.