Stone and machinery importers and suppliers Pisani have taken over the agency for CMS Brembana CNC machinery from A J Lopez & Co.

The Brembana brand will replace Omag in the range of equipment offered by Pisani and will be complemented by Nicoli diamond tools, which they, as well as A J Lopez, also previously distributed but for which Pisani will now be sole agents.

Paul Gidley, Pisani commercial manager, said in May on his return from a trip to Italy, during which the new agency deals were concluded, that both Brembana and Omag were excellent brands but that Brembana had a wider range of products and the backing of the powerful CMS group.

All the components of the Brembana machines are built by the CMS group, says Gidley, and the agreement reached with them will mean that machines are available quickly, as required by stonemasonry companies in the UK.

He adds: As with Omag, the Brembana machines are built specifically for the stone industry. They have big, sturdy cast iron frames. They are powerful machines with the latest software developments. And the much larger CMS group can give us all the back-up we need.

Pisani, with the strength and co-operation of CMS Brimbana, expect to be able to meet the needs of the industry in the UK for CNC machinery.

They intend to show some of the Brembana range at an open day they are planning for August. They had intended to have an open day earlier in the year but, says Gidley, to be frankly honest we have been so damn busy we haven\'t been able to.

The change of agency is the result of a review by Pisani of the range of machinery and tools they offer, which will be detailed in a catalogue they intend to produce later in the summer.

There has been some rationalisation and they have concentrated on high quality products - Brembana, for example, are not the cheapest on the market.

Pisani maintain their long-term associations with Bideseimpianti (primary saws) and GMM (bridge saws), and their newer agency for Dainaka (robotic polishers) from Japan that resulted from the 1998 Natural Stone Show at Wembley.

They continue to offer Marmomeccanica sawing and polishing machinery and the smaller machinery for cutting and shaping from Marmo elettromeccanica. They also sell Tecnoidea Impianti and Martini Aeroimpianti water treatment and dust extraction systems, and have a number of other agencies they feel fit in with their overall quality and service philosophy.

Paul Gidley says what Pisani have been doing is consolidating with companies they believe can help them satisfy a more demanding, sophisticated market in the UK.