As discussed in our 30th Anniversary of Classico Marble article, the specialist stone fabrication and installation company spawned another key brand, Stone Automation, in 2022. To add even more layers to the onion, Stone Automation itself already represents five leading industry brands, some three years into trading. 

The portfolio of Donatoni, Wodiam, Tesimag, Leica Geosystems and Slabsmith is extensive. However, with a little help from the managing director of both brands, Salvatore Caruso, the reasoning and advantages of those layers become all too clear - and serve as a reminder as to how and why they’ve continued to flourish as a business.

As Salvatore explains, it was hands-on experience in the Classico workshop that lit the touch paper: “the formation of Stone Automation was a natural opportunity because we were a loyal Donatoni customer, and we understood the fabricator market and the support it needed.” While working with Donatoni CNC bridge saws, the team recognised that another, separate piece of tooling was also playing a vital role in the precision cutting of stone for their expansive project portfolio: blades. The brand responsible here was Wodiam, and while expanding another earlier brand of his own, Salvatore recognised an opportunity to join the dots:

 “We used Wodiam tooling at Classico Marble, and I had started to sell it through Italian Luxury Surfaces, another business I founded in 2015. Italian Luxury Surfaces was initially set up as a distribution business for natural stone sourced direct from Verona and Stone Italiana’s high-performance quartz, which my father had been using since the very early years of Classico Marble. This business gave us an insight into the fabricator market and a good understanding of the high-quality support and products they needed.”  When Stone Automation was formed as the vehicle for the Donatoni distributorship, it was logical to move Wodiam away from Italian Luxury Surfaces and then keep tooling and machinery all under the Stone Automation umbrella. 

Like Classico Marble, Wodiam is a family business with a focus on helping stone fabricators improve the efficiency and quality of their work. Wodiam’s blades, routers and polishing tools are all made at their factory in Germany, and the technical support Wodiam offers fabricators is industry-leading. There is clearly a synergy, which Salvatore notes, “Their team and ours spend time with fabricators and operators at their machines, showing them how to use Wodiam tools and how to get the best speeds on their machines, no matter which material they are processing.”

As a brand continually seeking new ways to enhance efficiency and client experience, it was a natural next step to start working with Slabsmith in the Classico Marble workshop. Slabsmith is a digital slab management software and system that can help a fabrication company streamline its inventory and overall slab management processes. With 10 years of experience with the product, it was only a matter of time before Stone Automation took on the brand, and Salvatore is keen to emphasise its value, “if you are a fabricator crafting book-matched surfaces for high-end projects, as a system, it is an absolute must. 

Tesimag joined Stone Automation in 2024 just ahead of MarmoMac, and the company specialises in the design and construction of wastewater treatment plants, filter presses and advanced pumping systems with ranges created for the stone fabrication industry. As fabricators themselves, Stone Automation knows that stone processing businesses need better water filtering and treatment solutions to avoid costly downtime on the machines, and to reduce the cost of using precious mains water. Which, once again, makes Tesimag a natural addition to the portfolio.

Leica Geosystems is the latest brand to join the fold, and Stone Automation proudly distributes its robotic digital templating tools to the stone fabrication sector. Its introduction has added yet more positive layers for the company, as Salvatore describes, “Leica has also brought us into the marine, glass and canvas sectors for their templating tools, so we have recruited a new team to support those markets. Digital templating is 100% the future for stone fabrication, and with Leica’s tools, it is so fast, efficient and precise that it speeds up the whole templating process and helps avoid costly remakes.” As those in the industry know only too well, often it is the fabricator that foots the bill when it comes to remakes due to poor templating, but Salvatore thinks the Leica tool is the ideal solution as “it’s so precise, quick to set up and easy to use; every fabricator should consider it!”

With a rich history and a huge breadth of machinery, robots, and production lines stemming from their initial relationship with Donatoni, the five brands at Stone Automation enable them to cover most functions within a fabrication business, while offering high-quality support to fabricators post-sale.

So, whether it’s slab scanning and inventory management to water recycling and filtration, customers can expect honest and knowledgeable advice from a team that has used the products themselves, worked within fabrication businesses, and offers ongoing after-sales support once they have made a purchase.

This month marks the 30th anniversary of Classico Marble, a brand founded by the late Calogero Caruso, which emerged as a go-to specialist in bespoke stone surfaces for architects, developers and designers across the South East of England. 

Classico Marble brings a “slab-to-surface” approach to stone projects, from material selection and templating through CNC fabrication, bespoke finishing and on-site installation. The brand continues to flourish under the leadership of Calogero’s son, Salvatore, which has led to the addition of Italian Luxury Surfaces in 2015, followed by Stone Automation in 2022. It’s already been quite the journey and the portfolio now also includes Donatoni, Slabsmith, Leica Geosystems, Wodiam, and Tesimag. As a result, the company has rapidly established itself as a specialist partner for stone processors seeking increased efficiency and cutting-edge technology. 

I caught up with Salvatore to find out more about the company’s multi-layered journey and to discover what we can expect from them in the future.

JB: We’re celebrating a huge milestone for Classico Marble and all that you have achieved so far. This has seen the company expand and evolve at quite a rate. Can you tell me about the journey thus far? 

SC: Well, I wouldn’t say that it was an evolution, more a natural opportunity. Italian Luxury Surfaces and Stone Automation both came about because we were already long-term customers and because we already held certain distributorships. We were the right people, in the right place at the right time, really, but Classico has been built on an unswerving focus on crafting high-quality stonemasonry. 

It was my late father Calogero Caruso, who instilled this focus at the heart of the business when he founded it 30 years ago with just one bridge saw and a small team of stonemasons. He understood what specifiers needed, and Classico swiftly became the go-to stonemason for architects, developers and designers in London and the South East. In 2000, he bought Classico’s first CNC machine, and a bridge saw followed in 2002 when we moved to our current premises. My father had introduced AutoCAD to the business by that point and Classico was becoming well-known for the precision and book-matched work that the team could produce due to the digital technology we had started to embrace. Sadly, my father passed away in 2009, but even today the business remains centred around his continual drive to create the highest quality stonework. 

JB: That must have been a difficult time, but the company has gone from strength to strength, even as the UK stone industry has come into difficulty. Can you tell me about some of the key steps along the way?

SC: When I took over the business, I knew that I had to improve the transfer of skills between the different generations of stonemasons and bring in new trainees, so we started an apprenticeship scheme with a local college in 2012, and at one point 20% of our workforce were apprentices. In 2015, we doubled the size of our workshops by taking on the warehouse next door, and a year later, we moved to completely digital production. That wholesale adoption of digital technology meant that we could fabricate every project right, the first time, and maintain the high quality of stonework that we are known for. By 2017, we had two CNC machines and three Donatoni Jet625 bridge saws, and in 2024, we installed the first Donatoni Twin S4Q twin table production line in the UK. Today, we are a team of 35 made up of operators, fitters, sales and office-based team members, working on stone surfaces for projects across England and Wales.

JB: Donatoni Jet625 CNC saws are indeed at the heart of this rich and ever-expanding company narrative, and I’m keen to hear more about what drew you to the machines and how they have helped shape the work you have done since your first purchase.

SC: Classico has bought four Donatoni Jet625s in total over the years. The first was purchased in 2015, and at one point, we had three in our workshops. We were drawn to the Jet625 due to how fast, powerful and compact it is. The size works well for the UK market, where space is at a premium, and the monobloc frame means that it can be easily delivered to almost all locations. Donatoni have even delivered a Jet on a boat down the Grand Canal to one of the last stonemasonry businesses in the heart of Venice.

One big upside to the Donatoni Jet625 is its ability to do 99% of the different processes we need to do when fabricating worktops, which is most of our work at Classico. The entire process is fully automated, and with Donatoni’s Tool+ spindle on them - we have this on ours - a CNC milling tool is always mounted on the machine ready for any cut-outs and avoiding any downtime for tool changing. All in all, it’s a machine capable of seriously increasing the efficiency and productivity of a fabrication workshop.

JB: As Classico Marble has developed over the last 30 years, have the type of clients and projects changed? 

SC: I would say that our work is pretty much the same type as 30 years ago - predominantly worktops in natural stone and quartz for kitchens and bathrooms - we just handle a greater quantity. We’ve always done quite a lot of marble stairs and there is a definite increase in stone cladding for showers and bathrooms. Demand for porcelain worktops has recently gone through the roof. 

In terms of clients, we still work with architects, interior design firms, kitchen and bathroom design studios, and private clients. The number of property developers and housebuilders we work with continues to grow because we can service developments with ease at our factory. For example, we made 1,300 kitchen worktops for Berkeley Homes’ housing development in the former Horlicks factory in Slough.

JB: That’s a lot of worktops! What’s the secret to working at such volume?

SC: Our increased capacity and efficiency is down to the many progressions in stone technology during that period and the investments we have made to keep up-to-date. We’ve always been known for our precision and thoroughness on projects, so that hasn’t changed, but we are now able to achieve that precision faster. Bookmatching is easier than when we had to do it all by eye, templating is quick nowadays and only takes one person, the machines are more precise and operators no longer need to inspect and adjust machines.    

The Classico Marble facility has now become more than a fully operational factory; it’s a premier Donatoni UK training centre where fabricators can come and see the machines and tools in action, get training and ask questions. We are supporting the next generation of stone fabrication professionals and demonstrating our commitment to innovation and excellence.

JB: Are you able to give a sense of the type of clients you are working with at Stone Automation? Has this changed as you’ve added to your offering?

SC: We work with a wide variety of stone processing businesses across the UK, from local worktop fabrication businesses through to large-scale stone suppliers with mines. When it comes to Donatoni, we have a strong customer base of CNC saws across the UK and Ireland, and we are now seeing the new generation of CNC work centres, waterjets, and edge polishers starting to be installed. 

As we have added brands to our portfolio our exposure to the wider stone processing market has increased, and the number of businesses we work with has increased in line with that. That said, in the face of the rising costs of production, efficiency is incredibly important for all our customers, no matter what their scale. All our customers are making operational changes, increasing automation and focusing on boosting efficiency. With our portfolio of brands and our own operational experience, we are perfectly positioned to support them when implementing all of these.

JB: As it’s a milestone year, will the company be doing anything to mark the anniversary? 

SC: In early summer, we made the most of the good weather and the whole Classico team and their families came together to celebrate the 30th anniversary with a big party. Since then, we’ve also launched our own quartz range called Pietra and launched our new brand colours this month for the anniversary.

As for Stone Automation, we launched Stone Automation Ireland in March, celebrated our third anniversary in July, joined the WFF in August, and exhibited at three shows so far this year. We are very proud to represent the five leading brands in our portfolio, and our focus remains to help stone processing businesses achieve great results and improved efficiency. 

Scottish cleantech company Kenoteq has steadily established itself as one of the UK’s most forward-thinking materials manufacturers. Its K-BRIQ is an ultra-low-carbon masonry brick made almost entirely from recycled construction and demolition waste, and is now moving from research to widespread adoption.

Developed over more than a decade at Heriot-Watt University, the K-BRIQ represents a practical response to two of constructions biggest environmental pressures: embodied carbon and material waste. Each brick is unfired, made from nearly 100% recycled material, and produces 95% less embodied carbon than a conventional clay brick.

At Kenoteq’s East Lothian facility, the company now produces around two million K-BRIQs a year, with capacity to double output as demand grows. Plans are underway to replicate the model through regional production hubs, both in the UK and abroad, using local waste sources to reduce transport emissions and strengthen circular supply chains.

The K-BRIQ has also achieved British Board of Agrément (BBA) certification, confirming its performance in strength, durability, and fire resistance, and enabling it to be specified for use across a broad range of structural and architectural applications. The product achieved the highest durability classification and an A-class fire rating for its Medero Dark Grey variant, although the full range includes 12 colours, all produced from recycled pigments.

Beyond the certification, Kenoteq’s innovation lies in its low-energy process, which allows waste streams such as crushed brick, plasterboard, and mortar to be formed into a new masonry material without the need for high-temperature kiln firing. This approach not only reduces emissions but also diverts significant quantities of construction waste from landfill. The company’s co-founder and executive director, Sam Chapman, explains:

“Our aim was to create a technically robust, sustainable brick that performs to the same standards as traditional products. The K-BRIQ shows that circular materials can be commercially viable, scalable, and durable — not experimental.”

Kenoteq’s work has drawn recognition from across the construction and environmental sectors, winning awards from BE-ST, Zero Waste Scotland, and The Royal Academy of Engineering, among others. Early adopter projects already include Scotland’s National Retrofit Centre (BE-ST), Oaklands College in St Albans, and Kaufland’s sustainability-focused hypermarket in Germany.

As the construction industry intensifies its focus on embodied carbon and resource efficiency, Kenoteq’s approach demonstrates how regional waste recovery, precision engineering, and rigorous certification can combine to create viable building materials for a low-carbon future.

“We’re not just cutting emissions,” Chapman adds. “We’re closing the loop — transforming waste into a valuable, high-performance product that can be manufactured locally and used globally.”

Facade and Materials Design Consultancy (FMDC Ltd) is a specialist façade consultancy bringing together design, engineering, and material expertise to deliver well-considered building envelopes. From concept to completion, they work collaboratively with architects, clients, and contractors to ensure façades perform as beautifully as they look. With deep knowledge across stone, glass, and metal, FMDC combine technical rigour with a clear understanding of materials — shaping solutions that are practical, elegant, and built to last. We spoke to FMDC's Lisa Nunn to discover what a typical day in her life looks like:

My day starts…

At the moment, my mornings involve reading my book and a nice warm bowl of porridge with honey. 

I am usually found working…

We have an office in London, really nicely located, so most of our projects are around the corner; however, you won’t often find me sitting at my desk. Most of our projects will require visits to site, be that an inspection of existing stone, viewing slabs for selection at a factory, or even visiting a quarry. These visits are often abroad, and I have been fortunate enough to travel around Europe, South America, the Middle East and China for work. 

My typical day involves…

One of the best things about my job is that there is no typical day. For the last two and a half years, I have been on-site most days and nights! I have actually just completed a job whereby I had to do mostly nightshifts, which involved inspecting stone façades from a BMU or MEWP. I had the most amazing views of St Paul's at night and saw many Supermoons! I do enjoy a day where I can be in the office and catch up with my colleagues; sometimes I don’t see them for weeks on end. Being in the office usually involves writing up the work I have done on-site or reviewing stone technical data and designs from our façade team. All in all, my days are varied and I love that. 

The thing that surprises me most about my job…

I am still learning new ways of how people are using stone; it is an ever-evolving process. We are currently researching the use of structural stone, alongside our façade team, and how elements of the design can reduce the embodied carbon of a project. There are many components to successfully using stone and I am really enjoying my encounters with such a variety of people and projects.

When I was younger, I wanted to be…

I was torn between geology and acting. I loved fossil hunting and volcanoes as a child (I still have my rock collection on display), but I also loved performing on stage. Luckily, I managed to do both - I became a geologist, but have done lots of amateur theatre, and I even have one professional credit to my name!

Something you might not know about me…

I volunteer as a leader with Girlguiding and am our District Commissioner. We run several units weekly, go on days out and residentials, including camping! It’s quite intense, but I like to think we are challenging girls to do their best and giving them skills for the future. 

My most memorable moment at work…

There have been several pinch-me moments in my career, but a few that have stuck with me are flying in a private jet to a quarry in Brazil, speaking at the ZAK World of Façades last year, and winning the Emerging Talent Award at the Stone Show this year.

If I could give one piece of advice to someone considering a career in the stone industry…

My advice would be, do it -  join us! There are many different roles; you can learn new skill sets and develop existing ones. Working in stone will constantly surprise you; there will be opportunities you never even dreamed of, and you’ll be contributing to an industry that has sustainability at its heart. 

For more information about the work Lisa and her team do visit: www.fmdc.co.uk

A collaboration between London-based design studio OZRUH and ETH Zurich, ANTI-RUIN is a new research-led project exploring how stone waste can be transformed into structural architecture through 3D printing. 

At its core, ANTI-RUIN uses a novel binder jetting process to turn marble dust—specifically the byproduct from the Lasa Marmo quarry in South Tyrol—into freestanding stone elements without the need for moulds or support structures. The process involves no toxic binders or post-processing, offering a sustainable and scalable alternative to conventional stone construction. Developed under the direction of Dr Pietro Odaglia, this neoteric technique has allowed the team to create the world’s largest 3D-printed stone structure.

But the project also demonstrates how stone’s life cycle can be extended through reuse and recomposition. Instead of resisting decay, the system is designed to adapt over time, allowing components to be reassembled and reconfigured. ANTI-RUIN proposes a circular model where construction byproducts—such as marble, brick, or concrete dust—can be reclaimed as new architectural material.

Structurally, the installation also challenges traditional balance and load-bearing conventions. One column stands independent, while the slab it supports is offset, creating an asymmetric but stable configuration engineered by formDP. This demonstrates how digital fabrication allows precise internal geometries to control weight and stability within each printed element.

Accompanied by a twenty-minute film documenting its development—from quarry to fabrication and installation—the project positions itself as a test case for sustainable stone innovation. Having shown iterations during Venice and at the Barbican in September, future phases are planned for 2026 and beyond, where ANTI-RUIN will continue to investigate how digital technologies and natural materials can combine to create adaptable, low-waste architectural systems.

It’s not often that you’d say marble dust, recycled paper, wood shavings and casein in the same sentence. But you can’t describe designer Arturo Spardaro’s new material, Marmolatte, without mentioning all four elements.

It came about as a result of Arturo’s participation in The Material Way, a new educational course with a very unique relationship to materials. Carried out over an intensive nine-month online program, the course is billed as “a new collaborative platform for material-based studies focused on supporting curious creators who strive to craft a more holistic, local, and nature-minded future.”

Image Credit: Philip Vile

While the first three waste substances listed are increasingly commonplace in the world of materials, casein, the main protein found in dairy products, is far less customary, and indeed, seldom used outside of food production. When mixed, the ingredients form a paste, which is moldable, and once set, creates a solid composite surface. The resulting material can be cut, sanded and drilled like wood or stone, with the potential to create objects and furniture, as well as being used as a surface covering.

The Worktop Fabricators Federation has partnered with Asthma + Lung UK to introduce members to the range of support that the charity provides. Asthma + Lung UK are a leading lung health charity, dedicated to fighting for the 1 in 5 people who will develop a lung condition during their lifetime. 

Worktop fabricators can be at risk of developing occupational asthma, COPD, pneumoconiosis, and silicosis, particularly when adequate Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) is not worn, or worn incorrectly. In recent times, the industry sector has been maligned by critics, with attention-grabbing headlines calling for a ban on silica-based worktops. The WFF has long been an invaluable resource for those in the industry, along with all forms of worktop specifiers, and the team are campaigning to help raise awareness and clarify the risks and potential precautions available in tackling such work-related lung conditions.

An example of bad practice

As Nigel Fletcher, WFF Operations Director, reveals, the new shared initiative aims to promote safe practices and support for anyone affected:

"We're delighted to partner with Asthma + Lung UK, an organisation that is very close to our hearts. The Worktop Fabricators Forum was set up to support those working in the stone industry, and we are always striving to make the industry safer. We acknowledge that dust poses a major issue in this sector and Asthma + Lung UK work tirelessly to provide not only support to those affected, but also funds studies into how lung conditions are prevented, diagnosed, and treated."

Handy QR codes have been set up to take you to information about symptoms, tests, and treatments, as well as condition-specific resources, links to groups and support, and practical advice on health in the workplace.

Speak to Asthma + Lung UK’s helpline on 0300 222 5800. You can also contact corporate@asthmaandlung.org.uk to discuss how your company can best engage with the charity.

What do Nelson Mandela, King Harald V of Norway, Sir Bobby Robson, Alan Shearer and Jackie Milburn have in common? 

As Freemen of the City of Newcastle, they have their names carved upon the historic banqueting wall at Newcastle Civic Centre, alongside the city’s former Lord Mayors, Sheriffs and several skilled sculptors and stone carvers who helped shape the Civic Centre’s legacy. One of the latter names is Terry Moody, the man behind the original carvings produced in 1968 for the building's grand opening. 

Opened by King Olav V of Norway, Newcastle Civic Centre is a landmark of modernist architecture and civic pride. Designed by city architect George Kenyon, the building replaced the old Victorian Town Hall and quickly became the heart of Newcastle's local government. Based in North Tyneside, Terry and a colleague meticulously carved the 26,000 letters to honour the city's most distinguished figures. 

Nearly 60 years on from that original commission, Terry's son, Mike, has continued the family tradition. As managing director of Classic Masonry, he has worked closely with senior stonemason Paul Bennett to create precise lettering for the building's most recent project. With over thirty years of experience across all sectors of the construction industry, Mike explains that this commission means more than most:

“It is not just about craftsmanship, it’s about honouring the legacy of those who have shaped the city, helped it prosper and added to the Geordie pride. We are honoured to uphold the standards set by those before us and to continue Classic Masonry’s role in marking Newcastle’s historic milestones.”

Mike’s own son, Michael, has followed in his father's footsteps and heads up the design team. So while Classic Masonry specialises in stonemasonry and architectural precast concrete, it now offers a comprehensive range of services, including design development, stone sourcing and selection, cutting, profiling, carving, and fabrication. It also undertakes both new build masonry construction and restoration and conservation projects, which include cleaning, decontamination, and facade consolidation. 

This recent commission, which brings the family story full circle across three generations, underlines a rich legacy that has served as the foundation for the company, which continues to go from strength to strength. 

As clients and specifiers alike look to material reuse as a means to help turn the tide on the client crisis and reduce environmental impact, it’s vital that novel but functional approaches to recycling continue to come to the fore. 

That’s something that London-based Studio TIP knows all too well.

The brainchild of design duo Katie May Boyd and Charlotte Kidger, the studio was born out of a shared drive to help fix the West's broken relationship with materials by tackling the ways that we deal with post-industrial waste. Working in collaboration with architects, engineers, and demolition companies at building sites, including 124 Theobalds Road and 180 Piccadilly, they have extracted and categorised waste with reuse in mind. 

But doing something with these materials is a core component of their practice, and the perfect vehicle to showcase the rich potential of the circular economy. This is underlined by their original use of stone in creating a series of benches. Various offcuts of stone, including marble and portland stone, have been harvested from demolition sites and selected for their inherent structural qualities and unique sculptural forms. The design principles deployed are simple but highly effective in creating functional seating with a value far beyond that which we relegate such materials to in the existing system. And the pair are not afraid to let the circular nature of their work shine through, as they explain about the benches:

“These pieces lent themselves to study seating, so we created a stacked design, drilling through each piece and assembling them on a threaded rod. All of our work follows the circular design principle to enable disassembly and reuse, so fixtures like bolts, lashing straps, knots and screws visibly feature in our design aesthetic. In the stone bench, we bolted and strapped a metal floor grill to the stone to create a seat, then added a softer element with plastic carpet tiles.”

The duo hopes that such interventions and reimagings of a system that is clearly broken can inspire on a local and global scale, and are on the hunt for more industrial waste, as well as those in the industry and beyond who are willing to join their material revolution.