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TRANSCRIPT
00:22
Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest in hard surfaces industry news from Radio Stone Update.
00:31
Cosentino Group reports that it closed 2024 with revenues of $1.5 billion, down 6.7 percent from 2023, and an EBITDA of $259 million, off 14 percent from the previous year. Net income for the company reached $71 million.
Company officials say the results reflect the continuing normalization of the market following the COVID pandemic increase, especially in 2022. The slight contraction is also influenced by uncertainty in the global economy in 2024.
The company’s sales – 92 percent of income– continue to come mostly from international markets, with 56 percent of that share coming from North America, mainly the United States and Canada. Europe represents 33 percent of the company’s sales. Notable for growth between 2023 and 2024 is the Middle East and Asia, where sales increased by more than 30 percent last year.
Also noteworthy is the evolution of Cosentino’s Hybriq+® technology, which allowed the company to reach 100 percent of Silestone® production with a content of less than 40 percent silica in 2024. The Silestone® XM line also launched, featuring a greater presence of recycled raw material and between 0 and 10 percent silica in its composition.
The company is immersed in its three-year plan to invest more than $470 million between now and 2027. The plan will focus primarily on expanding the production capacity and efficiency of its industrial facilities, as well as opening new commercial assets globally.
Major recipients of those investment funds include the development of a fourth Dekton® production line and the expansion of its Automated Logistic Platform at the Cosentino Industrial Park in Cantoria, Almeria, Spain.
Cosentino will also continue work on building its manufacturing plant in Jacksonville, Fla., which is estimated to cost more than $250 million over the next five years.
To strengthen its market presence, Cosentino has five new Cosentino Cities set for opening this year in Gothenburg, Sweden; Manchester, England; Monterrey, Mexico; and the U.S. cities of Dallas and Richmond, Va.
Complementing those will be a new commercial asset model launching this year called Cosentino Studio. The initial locations for these combination showroom and workspace areas will be in the United States and Spain.
Cosentino is a global family-operated company that distributes its products in more than 120 countries from its headquarters in Cantoria. It operates nine factories, an intelligent logistics platform and more than 160 commercial and business units throughout the world.
03:23
What happens when you bring 22 stone companies together with selected stone buyers? At February’s Marmomac Brazil, the result was more than $18 million in new business over the coming year.
The Round of Negotiations, which matched those 22 companies with 14 foreign buyers, resulted in more than 260 individual meetings. The activity was promoted by the Brazilian Natural Stone Association (Centrorochas) in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil).
Buyers came from countries including Canada, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. Those sessions resulted in an immediate estimate of $1.83 million in business deals, with total sales of $18 million-plus through next year.
Centrorochas President Tales Machado called the Round of Negotiations part of a solid strategy for global insertion.
“It creates opportunities for Brazilian natural stone companies to remain connected with target markets, strengthen international partnerships and reinforce Brazil’s role as a point of reference in quality, diversity of materials and sectoral innovation,” Machado said.
The participating companies are all located in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo, the largest exporter of natural stones in Brazil.
It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone is an export promotion program which currently supports 223 companies while aiming to encourage and increase exports of Brazilian natural stone through a set of strategic internationalization actions. Marmomac Brazil 2026 is set for March 24-26 in Sao Paulo.
06:19
Minnesota-based Coldspring has announced that Stone Panels International (SPI), is now an official division of the company.
Based in Marble Falls, Texas, SPI produces StoneLite® lightweight natural-stone panels for cladding and other special purposes where material mass can be an issue. Coldspring, the well-known U.S. quarrier and fabricator of natural stone and bronze, acquired SPI in November of 2016, but it operated as a wholly owned separate entity until now.
In making the change, Coldspring expects to strengthen service offerings and streamline operations at SPI. The product line will now be sold exclusively through Coldspring as StoneLite® by Coldspring.
Greg Flint, president and COO of Coldspring, said he’s excited to bring Stone Panels International fully into the Coldspring family
“This transition allows us to continue delivering the industry-leading StoneLiite lightweight honeycomb natural stone panels with the same expertise and commitment to excellence that our customers expect,” he said.
The StoneLite manufacturing facility will continue to operate from its current location in Marble Falls, and existing SPI contracts will remain in place. However, all future contracts, purchase orders and payments will be made through Coldspring.
The lightweight natural-stone panel concept was developed in Ireland in the 1960s and brought to the United States in the 1970s. SPI operated from several locations in Texas and went through several ownerships by private-equity groups before Coldspring acquired the exclusive rights to the patented manufacturing process and trademarks of the StoneLite system.
08:03
April was expected to start off with a bang – literally – in Concord, N.H., last week. The Concord Monitor newspaper reported that blasting was scheduled to take place April 1 at the Swenson Granite quarry on what’s known locally as Rattlesnake Hill.
Work stopped cutting new granite last summer in what is known as the “deep hole” and there had been no blasting since late February as the quarry processed cut stone into smaller pieces.
Officials hope the work could signal preparation for what could be a resumption of granite-cutting operations in what was the last major granite quarry operating in the Granite State.
Swenson Granite stopped cutting new granite last summer in the “deep hole” because it reached 300 feet below the surface. Polycor, the Quebec firm that manages Swenson Granite, said the stoppage allowed for changes to the quarry footprint with the goal of bringing the cost of quarrying dimensional stone to sustainable levels.
Polycor said it plans to resume full quarrying this summer. Swenson Granite’s retail operations have not been affected.
Granite has been cut on Rattlesnake Hill since before the Civil War. Swenson Granite was formed when John Swenson consolidated some 40 quarries to form the company in the 1880s. After more than a century of family ownership, the company was sold to TorQuest Partners, owners of Polycor, in 2016. Birch Hill Equity Partners of Toronto now owns Polycor and its businesses.
09:31
Understandably, organizers of the first ASEAN Stone show, held last December in Vietnam, were cautiously optimistic about the future of their event. However, based on that show’s success, they have unveiled plans for a second edition of the show.
Being held in conjunction with the 9th Edition of ASEAN Ceramics, the 2025 show for machinery and tools, chemicals and materials for the natural stone industry will be held Oct. 15-17 at the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand.
Designed to be the ultimate platform for natural stone industry professionals to showcase their products to the Southeast Asian market, ASEAN Stone offers buyers, specifiers and influences the opportunity to source products, gain design inspiration and expand their businesses.
Highlights include buyer-seller matching, a three-day stone conference, networking reception, hosted buyer program and more.
Visitors to last year’s show, with the ASEAN Stone addition, increased by 40 percent from 2023 when ASEAN Ceramics stood alone. And, among those increased numbers the show received a 93 percent satisfaction rating. The 2025 show floor is also expected to grow to 5,000 square meters, or almost 54,000 square feet.
Thailand also stands prominently in the natural-stone market, with the production and export of several stone types, notably high-quality granite and marble. The country caters to both domestic construction and global markets, and revenue from natural stone is expected in the ASEAN stone market to grow to more than $35 million by 2030.
11:13
And, the Tile Council of North America – TCNA – honored Tennessee Sixth Congressional District Representative John Rose as a “Friend of the U.S. Tile Industry.” Rose was presented with a specially designed ceramic tile noting the designation during a ceremony in his Washington office.
Eric Astrachan, executive director of TCNA, said the organization appreciates the important contributions Rep. Rose has made in support of the many tile producers of his district, the state of Tennessee and the nation.
“Rep. Rose is pushing for a level playing field, and we in the North American tile industry applaud his efforts,” Astrachan said.
Rep. Rose said Tennessee’s manufacturers deserve a fair shake on the world stage and he urged the U.S. Department of Commerce to use the tools at its disposal to counteract subsidized and protective trade practices and protect domestic manufacturing.
12:12
For the most up-to-date numbers on hard surfaces imports and expert analysis by editor and publisher Emerson Schwartzkopf, go to www.hardsurfacereport.com. For a transcript of this podcast, go to www.radiostoneupdate.com. I’m K. Schipper for Radio Stone Update, and we’ll see you here again soon.
