After the crisis? Is there a mistake in the title, is this magazine out of touch with reality? But is not Spain still in the middle of the worst economic crisis in 80 years? And are not Spanish companies of all kinds still closing down on a daily basis, after 5 years, leaving huge unpaid bills?
Dmitry Medyantsev, President of Russian STONE CENTER Association
Question.- How many factories and quarries are there in Russia?
1. There has been a slowdown in the number of private sector projects coming in the market in second half of the year. Many of these projects are now in state of stand-bye.
2. The Polish market for natural stone became even more price conscious as a result of a more difficult environment.
3. Increased price sensitivity meant that cheap Chinese stones were increasing their market share.
India is well known all over the world for its wide variety of granites, but the general impression is they are located in the south of the country. The north, especially the state of Rajasthan, is usually associated with marble, sandstone and slates. Few associate the state of Rajasthan with a granite industry. Yet, in an almost furtive manner, unknown to most of the stone industry people, a significant granite industry has been developing in the state in recent years. This relatively recent industry is not just processing materials extracted elsewhere.
Jeffrey Matthews is a well known professional with 38 years of experience in the natural stone industry. An independent consultant he has managed more than 100 important architectural/construction support programs. He has been President of the Marble Institute of America. This interview was done on May 2012.
He can be contacted at stonetrade@bellsouth.net.
Paul Daniel
Compared with neighbours Turkey and Greece, Bulgaria´s dimension stone industry is small. Vratsa limestone however has remained popular for a long time. The growth of private enterprise since 1989 has seen imports grow, and the market further developed with accession to the EU in 2007. But the past 2 years have not been easy.
