Page 2 - Demo

2|January 2020
Sambor Stone Ltd
Slippery rock Gazette
Left: Ryan Navarrete programs
Continued from page 1
With momentum now fully in play, the facility that had begun life at 5,000 square feet, had transi- tioned to 25,000 square feet.
The company uses a broad array of equipment that includes a Zonato Manual Bridge Saw, two OMAG Area Cut CNC Bridge Saws, an Intermac Top Master 655 five axis CNC, an Intermac Master Stone 1500 CNC, three Intermac Master Stone 4000 CNCs, a Montresor Lola 800 Edge Polisher, a Montresor Luna 740 Edge Polisher, and a Montresor Vela 7.2 Edge Polisher. Heavy lifting throughout this high production facility is aided by a blend of four overhead cranes.
According to Jonathon, sales of natural stone have fallen off con- siderably, with quartz taking a front row seat. Current trends in Chicago as well as the company’s huge cov- erage within the mid west and fur- ther, have driven quartz sales to an unprecedented high, said Jonathon. “Ninety-eight percent of what we fabricate is quartz, with the final two percent being natural stone.”
Ultra-Compact Dekton is also part of the Sambor Stone’s sales, albeit a small part, continued Jonathon. “The problem is that be- cause of the nature of ultra-compact material, it takes longer to produce, and that holds up our equipment for doing other work. So when shops want to add the space and make the investment for equipment
specifically for this type of produc- tion, it will take off. That said, the material is getting easier to work with, because the tooling is getting better, and when the material price drops, it will be an interesting dy- namic. So how it plays out — only time will tell.”
Resourcefulness is a Key Ingredient for Success
“What makes us special is our capacity output and quality,” con- tinued Jonathon. “For instance,
one of their OMAG Area Cut CNC saws, and at right, Luis Gutierrez changes blades to suit the mate- rial on their second OMAG saw. Sambor Stone runs two Area Cuts and three Montresor edge polish- ers to keep up with their com- mercial and residential work.
we were called in on a multi-unit project by a general contractor who had never built a multi unit before. They had purchased the material from China, and it didn’t come out correctly, and we had fabri- cated and installed 90 kitchens in three weeks on the jobsite. These were low-rise giants, and we were sending in tractor trailer loads and booming materials in through the windows, and saved the general contractor from being fined thou- sands of dollars for late damages. All this was going on while we were doing our hotels and resi- dence jobs. Usually, the jobs that I deal with have giant problems, and the only way to fix a giant problem
iswithalotofgoodguysanda lot of equipment, and another rea- son that we are looking to expand again.”
Jonathon went on to say that the company shop is a predominately wet with small dust collecting units throughout. “Safety for our people is number one, and we do everything we can to keep them out of harm’s way. At any one time we have 10 to 15 shop and of- fice personnel, and 10 to 25 union installers.”
Jonathon and company are also members of the Natural Stone Institute (NSI) and the Stone Fabricators Alliance (SFA). “In business, especially in this busi- ness, your people are everything,” he continued. “Having high-tech machines are great, but you need to have people that love the ma- chines, and will check the quality of the work. So our most import- ant lifeline in this business is our employees, and I believe that we have the best of the best. We are the highest-paying shop in Chicago and offer them the best benefits and a very safe environment. The NSI is a great resource, and offers
an employee handbook that ad- dresses many day to day issues. The SFA has also been a big part in the growth and success of our company, and why I felt obligated to hold a workshop last month. It’s like a big thank you to the SFA, and I was paying it forward. The attendees were anyone related to the stone industry. It was a huge success and broke all records.”
Continuing the Momentum
“We are very lucky all the way around. We have the people and the infrastructure, and all of the variables that have combined to keep us working and growing. We started off as a retail fabrication shop, and then it turned into a high production shop.
“That said, if we had stayed the course of a mom and pop shop, it was either branching off and sell- ing cabinets or selling remodeling services. In our area, people want one-stop shopping, and the smaller fabrication companies in this area are going to have to fall into that category.
Please turn to page 7
Part of the record-breaking SFA crowd visiting for the Demo Event.
This residential project features a vein-matched waterfall island.