A New Way to Think About Engineered Stone
New technology and the wisdom of decades in quarrying and processing come together with ARTIZIA from ASI Industries.
Artizia may be the new name in engineered stone, but it already has a background of 75 years … and the wisdom gained in a long, successful business journey. The Artizia brand of engineered stone will be introduced early next year in the United States and other markets by ASI Industries, one of the larger quarrier and producers of limestone and sandstone in India with annual revenues in excess of $35 million for the past six fiscal years. The company is gearing up its production at a brand-new, fully automated plant using Breton® technology near the city of Jaipur, with a total capital outlay of more than $30 million. ASI is one of the very few natural-stone companies to enter the engineered-stone business. Company chairman Deepak Jatia explains that, given ASI’s operational scale and market demand, the move is a sensible one.
As the name indicates, Artizia will be a line of engineered stone that finds inspiration in the artistic presentation of its surfaces. While the company is investing in technology to produce its slabs, ASI is also taking great care to showcase the beauty of its product. During development of Artizia, ASI created more than 30 different styles, with particular emphasis on incorporating the popular trends of white-marble looks, as well as more-contemporary neutral shades and concrete-like hues. ASI's knowledge of natural stone in India is also part of Artizia's design and construction. More than 61% of the estimated 3.9 billion tons of quartz reserves in India are in the states of Haranya and ASI's own Rajasthan. As a result, the company can supply all raw-material needs within its own region, controlling cost, time and quality.
Artizia's new plant is located at the Mahindra World City business-technology complex just southeast of Jaipur. When running at full capacity, the facility will produce 1,650 square meters (17,660 square feet) per day, with annual production of 600,000 square meters (6.4 million square feet.) ASI is partnering with Breton S.p.A. of Castello di Godego, Italy, for its engineered-stone production line. The plant will include three robotic design stations and a variety of devices to achieve varied and intricate designs. The factory will also include Breton's innovative Tango polishing line, with synchonous oscillating movement for better finishes of dark colors like blacks and greys. ASI continued its commitment to completing its multi-million-dollar Artizia line in the last two years, even as the United States considered placing large tariffs on engineered stone from India. (The resulting tariffs will be less than 10% of Artizia's customs value.) The Artizia plant is located 500 miles northeast of Kandla, India's largest port (by shipping volume).
The production of Artizia engineered stone is enhanced by ASI's long history in quarrying and production, stretching back to India's pre-independence days. The company started with a discovery of limestone near a small town called Ramganjmandi with became known as Kota Stone. ASI now produces more than 12 million square meters (129 million square feet) annually of Kota stone and deals with a total workforce of more than 5,000, making it one of the largest stone-quarrying companies in the world. The company has won 11 National Safety (Mines) Awards, 6 National Safety (Factory) Awards and 2 National Environment Protection Awards, besides other numerous honors. ASI regularly reports revenue of more than $35 million annually, and is one of the few stone companies in the world listed on a public stock exchange (the BSE in Mumbai).
ASI Is now seeking distribution partners in North America and other locations worldwide for Artizia.
DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE?
ASI Industries Ltd.
Marathon Innova, A Wing, 7th Floor Off Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel Mumbai 400 013 INDIA +91-22-40896100 tushya@asigroup.co.in