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Home > UNITED KINGDOM > Showroom
FROM BILLIARDS TO FLOORING, FROM PORTALS TO SHINGLES, ITALIAN SLATE REINVENTS ITSELF THROUGH TRADITION
For centuries it has been the material of choice for the roofing %28shingles%29 of houses in the Italian region of Liguria. Then%2c during the last century%2c it was used as prime material in the making of billiard tabletops. Ligurian slate %28%3ca href%3d%22http%3a//www.portale-slate.com/ENG/index.html%22 target%3d_blank%3e%3cu%3ewww.portale-slate.com/ENG/index.html%3c/u%3e%3c/a%3e%29 has remained a precious raw material for flooring %28also paired with other materials such as marble%2c Italian %22cotto%22 or wood%29 or architectural elements such as portals and staircases%2c but also shelving%2c fireplaces%2c skirting boards%2c tabletops and benches. Recently%2c producers have been exploring opportunities in the interior design space - proof of the material%27s innovative potential. This is a confirmation that even a product apparently unchangeable such as stone can be reinvented using technology%2c creating new uses for it and updating the material%27s potential%2c not least from a commercial perspective. %3cbr%3e%3cbr%3e%22Our tradition in stone masonry - explains %3cb%3eFranca Garbarino%3c/b%3e%2c President of the Italian slate district - allowed us to develop technologies that can guarantee excellent precision and finishing%2c thanks to machinery which is almost entirely Italian-made%22. However%2c until a few years ago%2c using innovative machinery often did not allow to adequately exploit the slate%27s thickness%2c undermining our ability to use the material. %22In the past - Garbarino explains - our local craftsmen were able to work the slate and obtain significant thickness%2c up to 1 meter%2c as one can admire%2c for example%2c in the Basilica of San Salvatore dei Fieschi%2c in Liguria. That mastery was lost through the centuries and until a few years ago the maximum thickness we could manage was 5-6 centimetres%22.%3cbr%3e%3cbr%3eMore specifically%2c one could go from 1-centimeter-thick slate sheets used for shingles%2c to the 5 centimetres used for billiard tabletops%2c passing by the 3-4 centimetres of stones used for flooring. %22But there was a time - Garbarino points out - when in local houses it was not uncommon to find kitchen sinks made of slate. So it was clearly possible to work the stone to a greater thickness%22. The lost craftsmanship was regained thanks to a project that involved companies and the Liguria regional administration. Thanks to the funding %28around 10 million euros%29%2c a new piece of machinery was developed which could replicate%2c with a satisfactory level of finishing%2c pieces of work which used to be the result of traditional craftsmanship. %22We have developed new products%2c in particular for bathroom and kitchen furnishings%22%2c Garbarino explains.%3cbr%3e%3cbr%3eWhile competition from markets using cheap labour force%2c and ever-increasing extraction costs make competition more difficult for the sector%2c Italian slate manufacturers are preparing to face new challenges. %22The objective - says Garbarino - is to try and salvage the scraps to create composites and agglomerates which can compete with other high-range materials such as granite. An investment of EUR 15 million would be enough to recycle the leftovers%22. These are not trivial numbers for a truly niche sector%2c which involves exclusively SME%27s %2870%25 extraction companies%2c 30%25 companies working solely on the crafting%29%3a there are just above 40 companies with less than 300 employees and a total turnover of EUR 60 million. %22We confide in measures which will reduce taxes on research investments%22%2c the district President concludes.%3cbr%3eBut even product innovation is not enough where there is no adequate brand promotion. In this case as well%2c the institutions worked together with the slate district. The origin and quality marking %22Liguria Slate%22 was created in 2006%2c in the context of a covenant between the ICE and the Regional authority. A consortium was recently created to protect the trademark%2c and which will ensure it is registered in all EU countries as well as in North America. The trademark%27s use will be granted by the consortium to all producers who will guarantee the material%27s Ligurian origin and uphold sufficient product quality standards.%3cbr%3e%3cbr%3eA complete branded line and a series of promotional gadgets - already used for the 2006 Stonexpo %28Las Vegas%29%2c and which will be reused in the 2007 edition - were also created on the basis of the trademark. The objective is to highlight the peculiarities of the Ligurian production and offer a visual appeal to the final consumer. At the same time%2c the marking of origin and quality should encourage producers to diversify their production and reach a higher innovative standard. %3cbr%3e%3cbr%3e
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