Stone machinery company Stone Equipment International / National Masonry is re-focusing on consumables with a promise of the best prices available.
“I’ve decided to be the cheapest in the country,” says Managing Director Andy Bell, who sells MarmoMeccanica edge polishers and Emmedue saws and CNCs, and last year launched webuyanystonemachine.co.uk in support of his refurbished machinery offering that gives him sales internationally.
“I’ve decided because of the new way the world is working with Covid-19, Stone Equipment International / National Masonry is going to revisit the consumables side of equipment supply.”
He says the success of the machinery side of his business, especially since its move into its larger, modern premises in St Helen Auckland, Co Durham, in 2018, has meant he allowed the consumables side, which he has always supplied, to slip.
But he says the market for stone machinery was already cooling last year as stone processing companies put investments on hold while they awaited the outcome of Brexit. The coronavirus has considerably exacerbated the situation.
Andy says many of the companies selling diamond tools, abrasives, adhesives, sealants and all the other products used by stone companies in association with processing stone are working on high margins. He has cut those margins to the bone but in order to do so says there will be no accounts. It will be cash up front so he does not have to factor bad debts into the price of the products.
The products will also have to be ordered online at stoneequipmentinternational.com, so he does not have to employ people to deal with the orders and accounts, further trimming costs.
However, the inventory will be live, so it will only be possible to buy what is in stock, guaranteeing that whatever is ordered will be delivered, normally within 24 or 48 hours, depending when the order is placed and where the customer is.
The alterations to the website to make the development possible have been made by the same people Andy has employed for his IT services for the past decade, which gives him confidence about the move.
“I’m looking to re-establish our name in consumables,” says Andy, “and I can promise customers they will be able to make considerable savings on their consumables by coming to Stone Equipment International. It will make a difference to their bottom line over the course of a year.”
As an example of some of his (ex-VAT) prices: the Flex L1506 vr is £205; coloured stone glue £7.50 per tin; a full set of 7x100mm dry polishing discs £35; a 400mm Silent granite blade £130; a set of two Weha carry clamps £150; solid wax blocks £5.50; 125mm Velcro-backed paper polishing discs (all grits) £14.50 per 100.
Andy says the idea for the development of consumables and how to achieve it came to him during the Covid-19 shut-down while his staff were furloughed, when he had to cut his cloth accordingly.
He says contact from customers has been up and down since they started to return to work but believes he is seeing some green shoots of recovery.