LATEST NEWS

SIMON ACRES GROUP JOINS FORCES WITH THE WFF

Specialist KBB recruitment agency and online training provider, Simon Acres Group Limited is working in collaboration with the Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) to support WFF members grow and future-proof their businesses.

Through the new partnership, Simon Acres Group will work closely with WFF to provide its members with advice on recruitment including finding the right candidates, the importance of ongoing training and how to hire an apprentice. Simon Acres Group aims to improve the skills shortage within the KBB sector and is therefore a huge advocate of apprenticeships. The group encourages this as a route for employers to nurture fresh talent, bring diverse perspectives and future-proof the industry.

HSE DEVELOPING NEW ENGINEERED STONE GUIDELINES FOR UK

The UK’s Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has drafted new guidelines for tradespeople working with engineered stone, and is asking industry organisations for their feedback before it publicly releases the new advice.

This month, members and associates of the Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) were given the chance to view and comment on the new guidelines, which are said to be presented in a “dos and don’ts” format. The new guidelines seek to update the HSE’s existing advice on working with engineered stone, as the Executive continues to work out the best way to promote safe manufacturing techniques considering recent concerns around silicosis.

According to the WFF, the new draft guidance highlights the dangers of unsafe techniques such as dry-cutting, with the HSE aiming to address fears that the actions of a minority of unsafe manufacturers might compromise the whole market for engineered stone worktops.

NSS Hosts HSE for Discussion on Good Practices for Dust Risk Management

Long-time WFF member, Natural Stone Surfaces (NSS), recently welcomed a team of scientists and specialists from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to their headquarters in Chapel-en-le-Frith. The goal of the visit was to explore the latest industry strategies for dust suppression and discuss innovative ways to improve worker safety.

During the visit, Susan Hambling, Peter Stacey and John Saunders from HSE were given a tour of the facility by NSS Operations Director Dave Roy. The tour covered a range of equipment and processes, from the fully automated BACA robotic saw jet and Breton Combi Cutting line to the water-suppressed hand-finishing operations.

Matt Milner, NSS’s MD and procurement director, has already been working with suppliers to source low-or zero-silica quartz products. The HSE delegation took several samples away for analysis to aid their understanding of the low-or zero-silica quartz products coming on to the market.

Dave Roy highlighted that the factory already operates below the statutory Workplace Exposure Limit for Respirable Crystalline Silica, but emphasised NSS’s commitment to continually improving their working environment. Much of the discussion focused on the specialists’ experiences with innovative water-based techniques for dust suppression in other industries.

NSS is currently considering a cutting-edge production-line innovation, which could provide a cost-effective solution for further reducing dust in the most sensitive areas of worktop factories, particularly in finishing processes that require skilled hand labour.

NSS and HSE agreed that it would be valuable to consider working together to assess the effectiveness of new solutions on existing wet-working lines, and Dave indicated that he was looking forward to collaboration in the near future.

BEST WORK SURFACE BRAND IN THE Uk!

We are thrilled to announce that The Marble Group has won its very first industry Award for Best Work Surface Brand in the UK!  This incredible achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and passion of their team and the unwavering support of valued customers.

To their talented team: Your commitment to excellence and relentless pursuit of perfection have made this possible. Your creativity, craftsmanship, and attention to detail set you apart, and we are immensely proud you are WFF members. This award is dedicated to all of you. It symbolises the collective effort and shared success of The Marble Group family.

Theo and Michael opened The Marble Group’s doors in 2007 with a passion for great craftsmanship. The Marble Group is one of the UK’s premier fabricators of stone worktops, with over eighteen years of experience in both the stone and sales industries. Just like the story of the two stonemasons, we view your kitchen as a cathedral. We know we’re often only a small part of the process, however a kitchen is not complete until the worktops are in, only then will your kitchen become the finished product.

We know that quality and customer service are incredibly important to our customers, and are therefore important to us. When you place an order with us, you are assigned a personal representative who will guide you through the process, and assist you with other services such as interior design, or selecting a kitchen fitter, should you need it.

The Marble Group is constantly reviewing their processes to give the best possible customer experience. We aim to be one of the largest fabricators in the UK, and can only achieve this with your help. 

Global partnership creates “unified voice” for surface fabricators

The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) and the Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) have entered a strategic partnership to broaden resources, enhance education and advocacy for surface fabricators across the globe.

According to the organisations, the collaboration will bring a wealth of opportunities to surface fabricators, including access to training programs, enhanced advocacy efforts and a broader network of resources.

By combining the strengths of both organisations, the partnership will create a “unified voice” to address the challenges fabricators face in today’s market.

This partnership will introduce learning modules covering the latest techniques, technologies and best practices in surface fabrication, worldwide.

The ISFA and WFF will represent the interests of surface fabricators on a global scale, advocating for fair regulations, sustainable and safe working practices, and industry standards.

Members of both ISFA and WFF will benefit from access to shared resources, including technical guides, market research and industry insights.

Founded by a group of dedicated fabricators in 1997 and based in the United States, ISFA provides education, standards, community, industry advocacy and other tools that foster growth and success for its members.

Initially an organisation focused on manufactured surfaces, like solid surface and engineered stone, ISFA  now represents fabricators and industry professionals who work with all materials.

Launched in 2020 and based in the UK, WFF’s objectives are to promote professionalism across the industry, including best practices, standards and regulations that foster health and safety in the workplace.

The WFF is a “unified, representative” voice for the industry on matters of industry-wide importance, including silica safety.

According to the WFF website, there are more than 2,000 surface fabrication businesses in the UK, some of which are also ISFA members.

“We are thrilled to join forces with the Worktop Fabricators Federation,” said Marissa Bankert, executive director of ISFA.

“Our goals are perfectly aligned, and this partnership represents a significant step forward in our mission to support and elevate the surface fabrication industry.

“By combining our resources and expertise, we can offer unparalleled support to fabricators around the world.”

 Operations officer at WFF Nigel Fletcher added: “Partnering with ISFA is a natural progression for both of our organisations.

“Together, we are stronger and more capable of addressing the needs of fabricators, whether they are just starting out or are established industry leaders.

“This collaboration is about ensuring that all fabricators have the tools and knowledge they need to succeed.”

silicosis experts visit wff members

Medical experts and professional clinicians are the headline-writer’s bane: they will insist on gathering evidence and weighing data, rather than making sensationalist-sounding calls for product bans and prosecutions!

The specialists who are currently investigating UK cases of occupationally-acquired silicosis have certainly seen it from the victim’s point of view. Now they’ve seen it from the fabricator’s point of view, too. Or, at least, from the professional, HSE-compliant fabricator’s point of view.

WFF’s two Preston Members – Granite House and Granite Tops made themselves available to open their doors at very short notice to host the occupational specialists at their factories on August 12. Because diaries were so hard to synchronise, the trip was only agreed the previous Friday – meaning the experts really got a warts-and-all experience of the realities of worktop production lines.

Dr Johanna Feary from the Royal Brompton in London, Prof. Martie van Tongeren from Manchester University and Mike Slater from the British Occupational Hygiene Society met Brian and Anjum from Granite Tops in the morning. Then crossed town in time for the start of the afternoon shift at Granite House, where they were hosted by Arif and Bill.  

Wet-cutting, extraction, water recycling, sludge removal, hand-finishing: everything from bridge-saws to air-handling units was explained to the experts, as they came face to face with the realities of modern manufacturing processes, and the various solutions WFF members have put in place to keep their workers the right side of the WEL.

“It was hugely useful to get both sets of experts face to face,” said WFF’s Chris Pateman, who facilitated the meeting. “Ideas came out in conversation that might never have arisen if we had stayed in our respective bubbles. The idea of preventative CAT scans, instead of retrospective X-rays, for example, is something only a medical expert with access to NHS resources could consider.

“This was a really useful next step in WFF’s engagement with the academics. Despite what the newspapers might want us to believe, we are all on the same side here: nobody wants to see our workers put at risk, and everyone wants the safest-possible industry.”  

•  The academic research so far confirms WFF members’ concerns that the affected workers have been at the less well-regulated end of the industry. The report’s executive summary notes:

“We report eight UK cases of AS silicosis in young men. Most were migrant workers, vulnerable to exploitation in the workplace and health inequalities,6 with short exposure histories…Our cases are generally younger than those reported in the literature but with exposure histories similar to those described in Australia and California.

“Onset of disease is likely to relate to exposure levels, suggesting levels, at least for some of the UK cases (and in particular the case of acute silicoproteinosis), were extremely high and implying that employers failed to control dust exposure and to adhere to health and safety regulations. The AS market is dominated by small companies in which regulation has been shown to be challenging to implement.11 Furthermore, at least some worktop manufacturers may fail to provide adequate technical information relating to potential risks.”

WFF responds to fresh calls for UK engineered stone ban

By Matt Baker 09 August, 2024

Following widespread media reports of new cases of silicosis and medical experts joining the call for a UK artificial stone ban, the Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) has updated its guidance around occupationally-acquired silicosis.

Originally published last December and then updated this week, the WFF statement outlines that while silicosis is a dangerous disease, the danger comes from not following health and safety guidelines when cutting and fabricating.

Its broad advice for retailers, designers, specifiers, installers and consumers is that there is no direct health risk as a result and they should always seek qualified, compliant fabricators.

“Banning engineered quartz does not remove the risk of respirable crystalline silica dust (RCS) exposure,” the WFF says. “Many natural stone materials contain high proportions of crystalline silica, as do many ceramic products.

“Good quality factory management, water-based dust-suppression and proper monitoring of workers’ health are still absolutely de rigueur in a well-run worktop factory, immaterial of the precise material under the saw.”

RCS is both a dust hazard and a carcinogen and is created only when natural or engineered stone materials are cut, shaped, and finished prior to installation.

“It is important to note in this context that this is a factory management issue,” the WFF guide says. “There is no health risk to showroom staff, installers or consumers associated with specifying, handling, shipping, installing or using engineered stone worktops.”

The WFF also highlights the current Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance for factory owners and enforcement teams. That guidance states: “Products containing silica can be processed safely when proper controls are put in place. We would urge all manufacturers and fitters to ensure that they use suitable controls to protect their workers and themselves from inhaling silica dust.”

The WFF notes that recent concerns over RCS dust have been driven by two key developments: Australia’s ban on engineered stone products due to high silica content and the first UK cases of occupational silicosis among stone worktop fabricators.

Kent-based Herringbone Kitchens recently decided to stop the sale of high-silica engineered stone quartz, and even formed a government petition to consider a UK ban.

The WFF believes that while Australia’s ban addresses historical exposure risks, improvements in stone manufacturing have already reduced silica content in modern products.

Despite this, recent UK cases highlight significant safety failures, particularly among low paid  manual workers lacking proper health and safety training. The WFF emphasises that dry-cutting stone generates hazardous RCS dust and that “relying solely on personal protective equipment (PPE) is insufficient for long-term protection.”

Nigel Fletcher, operations officer at the WFF, said: “The Federation has a wide variety of member businesses, large and small, that are all committed to following best practice and protecting their workforce. Following health and safety rules such as suppressed water cutting with the right filtration and protection, and using correct PPE, is enough to manage risk.”

To reassure customers, the WFF says that its advice is to buy from reputable fabricators. It added that its members “all operate automated cutting tools using state-of-the-art dust suppression, undertake regular health audits of their workers and hold detailed data sheets to prove the provenance of the materials they supply.”

The full statement can be found here and a full list of the WFF’s members can be found here.

MEMBERS MEETINg & summer bbq:
GUESTS OF OUR SPONSOR - Cullifords.

We were very pleased to attend the Cullifords Summer BBQ.  As well as meeting other Stone Fabricators whilst enjoying great food, we had a chance to mingle with interior designers and specifiers while marvelling at the amazing array of stunning materials in stock.

The Worktop Fabricators Federation event at Cullifords was well attended by over 30 Members who all discussed the issues affecting the Stone Fabrication industry. The WFF presented a seminar about the safe handling of materials containing crystalline silica, THE issue of the hour. A copy of the latest guide is available here for the Membership and it details the very latest HSE guidelines.

STATEMENT BY THE TECHNISTONE COMPANY ON THE RISKS OF WORKING WITH ENGINEERED STONE

At Technistone, we produce a high-quality quartz with a rich history dating back to our founding in 1991. Engineered stone is highly valued for its functionality and versatility, especially as a material for making kitchen countertops. Our products meet all the strict norms established for their use in interiors, including direct contact with food, and are entirely safe for use by end consumers.

Recently, controversy has arisen about the process of manufacturing materials with silica and its impact on human health. Silica is present in many types of natural stone (granite, sandstone, diorite, quartzite, etc.), bricks, and ceramics. We want to stress that health risks arise only in situations where the clear, well-publicized rules for working safely with such materials are not respected. These rules are intended to prevent the introduction of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust into the atmosphere and thereby eliminate possible health risks such as silicosis. Silicosis is a serious illness. Therefore, we treat this matter with the utmost concern.

The safety of workers who produce and fabricate engineered stone is fundamental and is extremely important to us. We try very hard to educate our employees and our partners about how to work with it safely and employ proven methods. We constantly stress the basic rules for safely working with our materials, which include cutting and polishing materials under water, installing ventilating and vacuuming systems, testing and filtering the air, and of course, conscientiously using quality personal protection equipment.

Technistone provides detailed information about safety on informational stickers in several world languages applied to slabs of engineered stone, product safety sheets, manuals for proper handling of materials, educational videos, and targeted communications on digital platforms.

We constantly stress the importance of following all safety protocols and the responsibility everyone has to protect their own health.

In an attempt to minimize the risks associated with working with engineered stone, Technistone is continually developing new technologies to reduce the content of crystalline silica content in its products. Without your help, however, those efforts will not achieve the desired results.

We would like to inform you that Technistone will not supply materials to stone masons who do not cut engineered stone slabs using underwater cutting techniques. This decision is made in line with our commitment to safety standards within the industry.

We ask you not to underestimate the risks and respect all safety rules as you produce your customers’ orders. Keep in mind all the recommendations that we have made to you! If you distribute our product onward to other fabricators, always give them complete information about it, including the rules for working safely with our product.

Only together can we ensure that the beauty of engineered stone continues to please our customers and that this quality product reliably serves millions of consumers around the world.

Thank you
Peter Davies | UK MD I Technistone UK

Peter.Davies@technistone.co.uk | www.technistone.co.uk
HQ – Technistone, s.r.o. | Bratří Štefanů 1070 | 500 03 Hradec Králové | Czech Republic

STONE SPECIALIST - SPRING 2024

The more fabricators join the WFF, the easier it becomes to articulate the reassurance of a responsible, ‘quality’ message across the marketplace.

MEMBERS MEETING:
STONEGATE, NORTH CAVE, HUMBERSIDE

Chat, Learn & Share – Members Meeting at Stonegate’s new Office and Showroom facilities on Humberside.

KBB NEC BIRMINGHAM

We are Exhibiting at kbb Birmingham. Come and join us at Europe’s leading Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom event at the NEC in Birmingham - Hall 17, Stand S108.

Get your free ticket today

MEMBERS MEETING:
GUESTS OF OUR SPONSOR - Imperial stone.

The WFF Guide to Engineered and Natural Stone Surfaces was a powerful first line in the sand, drawing customers’ attention to quality issues and pointing them to WFF Members as industry experts.

Members at the last WFF Meeting of 2023 had a clear ask for the coming year – build on this start to develop a clear ‘use these people, because they are better’ message.

The meeting was hosted by WFF Sponsors Imperial Stone at their premises near Dunstable. As members began discussing the latest guidance on fabricating practice from sponsors like Sapienstone, the obvious value emerged of showcasing suppliers’ products in the context of a professional supply chain.

“When the directors first founded the WFF, they always had something akin to the FENSA accreditation for double-glazing companies in the back of their minds,” says WFF General Secretary Chris Pateman.

“The whole Covid scenario changed a lot of those early priorities. So it’s interesting and instructive to see the dynamic so strongly back on the table now: this is the standard we are working to; this is what you are guaranteed as a minimum; if you’re buying a worktop, make sure you’re buying from somebody who can meet this standard.”

Members felt WFF Membership should be the hallmark of industry quality.

A lively discussion explored existing touchstones like the Stone Federation’s workshop tolerances document and adapting some elements of the audit process used by the likes of IKEA and the DIY sheds.

Members were keen that any standards should focus not on internal measurements of what the workshop should be capable of, but rather output driven - built around giving customers what they want.

The meeting concluded a spirited address by Clare Howcutt-Kelly, editor of Natural Stone Specialist, who emphasised there are already things WFF Members can be doing to raise their profile as industry specialists. Clare invited Members to submit photographs of projects of which they are particularly pleased to NSS for use in a regular column in the magazine, highlighting worktop excellence.

Plenty there for the WFF Board to get its teeth into. What do YOU think? Do customers value your WFF Membership? Would they value it more if it stood for a very clear and demonstrable difference between you and your competitors? Drop your thoughts (confidentially) to administrator@worktopfabricators.org

Keeping Engineered Stone Safe

Headlines about the Australian ban on quartz worktops have set UK customers seeking reassurance about the provenance and safety of the products they are specifying through British showrooms.

In response, the WFF has produced a set of FAQs, for members to share with customers and use as the basis of their own marketing, tendering and corporate social responsibility statements as they feel appropriate.

Silica dust is not the new asbestos:  the risks are well-known within the stone industry, and occur ONLY at the point at which stone is cut and polished in the fabricator’s factory: there is no question of consumers or showrooms inadvertently picking up carcinogens from an installed worktop! We hope these FAQs will help bring some perspective to customers’ concerns – as well as warn them of the genuine dangers that come from sourcing stone materials from non-expert suppliers.

MEMBERS MEETING:
GUESTS OF OUR MEMBER - GRANITE house

It takes something pretty compelling to get busy business people to take a Monday out of the office. The fact that 40-plus WFF members and sponsors made the trip to Preston on July 3rd speaks volume for the extent to which good factory management is front and centre in the industry's mind.  

Our hosts Granite House drew on their own experiences (and several of their own suppliers) with case studies on the Omar crane for safe lifting and manoeuvring of heavy materials and of ACAS Engineering's clever ways of using waste heat from the compressor to pre-heat process water, making wet hand-polishing far less unpleasant on cold winters days. All ideas which members could see in use on Granite House's own extensive production lines.

Harrisons of Hull and WFF Sponsors Stonegate both had some of the latest RPE solutions on display, enabling members to compare, contrast and confer -- especially about the need to protect workers with facial hair, for whom conventional face-fitting protection can prove problematic. Stonegate also kindly arranged a live practical demonstration of a water-suppressed disc cutter, which drew a lot of comment from members.

One area which was new to many members was the question of measuring how far staff are at risk from vibration damage from the hand-tools they use. Air-tools may be smooth-start. But, as was pointed out, they are only as good as the extent to which they are kept lubricated and bearings are maintained. Keith Phillips from Havsco demonstrated a neat and clever device for monitoring vibration right at the user's hand for the duration of an entire shift.

Very familiar to everyone, though, was the question of clean recirculating water in cutting and polishing machines. Simon Bradbury from SIG talked members through the correct use of flocculants and coagulant additives to prevent vital pipes from clogging when cutting quartz materials. SIG's Trolex silica dust monitor was also quietly sampling the air in the showroom throughout the day: WFF has recently acquired one of these machines, and hopes to be making it available to members later this year.

Many thanks to Mubeen, Arif, Bill, Geoff and all the team at Granite House for welcoming everyone in to their factory and showroom and for the excellent curry at lunchtime!

WFF AGm - hard surfaces exhibition
07 June 2023 - excel london

Members of the Worktop Fabricators Federation are planning to work even more closely with showrooms, suppliers and the HSE in the year ahead, as the Federation moves into the next stage of maturity.

21 Members and Sponsors attended the WFF’s Annual General Meeting at the Hard Surfaces exhibition on June 7th. The formalities included the re-election of two founding directors Mark Mills (Stone System of London) and Andy Phillips (Affordable Granite), and a heartfelt vote of thanks to a third: Simon Souter of LBS Stone stepped down from the board at the AGM for health reasons.

A lively question-and-answer session immediately after the AGM saw members reflect on a year in which membership has grown, positive engagement with the Health & Safety Executive has reached new highs and fit-for-purpose training and accreditation for fitting teams has taken some major steps towards reality.

In the course of an hour of around-the-table discussion, members agreed on the value of sharing one anothers experiences of HSE inspections: the industry has seen renewed activity in the last six months, as the HSE has focused especially on respirable dust issues and machine guarding.

Different inspectors inevitably have slightly different priorities, and Members felt pooling experiences would bring benefits both to the fabricator community and to the HSE itself by helping benchmark what is and is not seen as acceptable in different inspections.

There was broad agreement in principle on the value of a fabricator code of practice. Though the detailed discussions suggested this might need to be in three parts:

1. What is ‘good practice’ for relationships with Health & Safety inspectors.

2. What is ‘good practice’ for relationships with kitchen showrooms.

3. What is ‘good practice’ for relationships with suppliers.

The WFF website is being developed as more of a ‘go to’ resource, with plans to host all suppliers’ design and installation manuals in one place. And also to draw best practice from the WFF’s member discussions into permanent on-line forum resources, where members can access expertise and lessons learned without needing to scroll through endless overlapping conversations.

The other big trend under discussion was the increased blurring of the distinction between bespoke machine-cut interior surfaces and large-format ceramic tiles. Several members already supply clients with elements intended for decorative interior walling, and it was agreed some work needs to be done to ensure whoever installs the material is fully aware of the different technical considerations.

building a blue-card consensus

WFF, the National Association of Shopfitters and training specialists OAL have begun work to deliver a pathway for WFF members’ installer teams to obtain blue (skilled worker) CSCVS cards.

A group of WFF members met at Leamington in March to develop a roadmap towards getting our installers properly recognised as the professionals they are. Which means developing a qualification which CSCS will recognise as fit for the industry’s needs.

Our starting point was the two-day Corian Fabricators course, which leads to Blue Card recognition under the National Association of Shopfitters’ SICCS accreditation scheme: if WFF can model a similarly unique course for stone worktop installers, we can explore ways of getting it suitably accredited by NAS.

Longer term, though, Members felt it was important for staff recognition, staff development and future recruitment for the worktop industry to have its own Level 2 vocational qualification. So we are pressing on with plans to ‘tweak’ OAL’s existing Level 2 Diploma in Solid Surfaces to create the first qualification uniquely to recognise the skills and competences of stone installers.

Working Group members spent the day working through the skills in OAL’s existing qualification (which was originally developed for shopfitters, and includes several modules better suited to carpenters).

Headline modules like On-Site Health & Safety, Handling Heavy Materials and Prepare Location for Installation will go through unchanged into the new proposal. But four modules in particular (Measure & Mark-out Materials; Apply Adhesives; Complete Standard Cut-Outs and Repair Solid Surfaces) are currently being re-written by Working Group members to reflect the needs of stone fabricators.

MEMBERS MEETING:
GUESTS OF OUR MEMBER - GRANITE TOPS

Dealing with respirable dust was the headline theme for the WFF’s first members meeting of 2023. A topic which is on every professional fabricator’s watch-list – and which no doubt contributed to the record turn-out. More than 50 fabricators, suppliers and specialists chatted in the showroom, listened to specialist presentations in the break-out room and visited the impressive factory area en masse after a memorable curry lunch served up by Granite Tops’ owner, Abdul Bapu.

With the Health & Safety Executive just passing the half-way stage of its six-month focus on respirable dust, Members heard from Natalie Tinsley from the HSE’s Engagement and Policy division, who leads on this area.

Natalie was careful to stress that the learnings so far were from all industries, including quarries and glassworks. But a number of common themes had arisen from the HSE’s investigations to date:

• There was a positive worker awareness of RCS 

• Primary control methods were sometimes not effective

• Dry sweeping was still taking place  

• RPE provided not being suitable – see press release World Cancer Day | Safety alert issued | Initial findings from silica inspections (govdelivery.com)

• Lack of health surveillance

• Machinery guarding not compliant 

The very recent publication of the All Party Parliamentary Group’s report into workplace-related silicosis sparked a great deal of discussion.  Particularly regarding its proposal for a feasibility study on reducing the Work Exposure Limit by 50% to 0.05mg/cu m – a suggestion many fabricators regarded as unworkable.

Granite Tops’s own H&S consultants, COSHH Services, delivered a case-study presentation based on the company’s own experiences with HSE inspections and the need to reduce respirable dust levels. The process eventually led them to recommend and install technology more usually seen in the aerospace industry:  a network of flexible extraction pipes to capture dust at point of use on the finishing line, fed back to a water-wash extraction cabinet.

Looking at worker health and safety from a different perspective, Members also heard from Kate Walker, CEO of the Diabetes Safety Organisation, which specialises in helping employers manage Diabetes in the Workplace. WFF and DSO are working together to offer WFF members free posters to raise awareness among their workers, plus access to simple check-lists and resources to ensure employers are equipped to anticipate and handle any unexpected incidents.

MEMBERS MEETING:
GUESTS OF OUR SPONSOR - Imperial stone.

WFF members, sponsors and prospective members from as far afield as Sheffield and Clacton converged on Dunstable last month, for our latest face to face meeting, hosted by Imperial Stone.

Surrounded by some spectacular materials, several members felt the natural stone industry has a big education job to do, advising fabricators which marbles we can use and what care and maintenance is needed for each. Emerging from the general discussions and information-sharing, the WFF is now pushing ahead with several policy objectives:

• CSCS Cards – members were keen to press on with developing a qualification or accreditation process to enable our installer teams to obtain blue CSCS cards. We are looking to convene a small group of interested members to review the work so far and check through the various National Occupational Standards. Please contact Chris if you would like to be part of this.

• Members were keen to pull existing best practice into a common Health and Safety “things you must address” policy framework which all WFF members could use to benchmark their own H&S policies. Particularly helpful where H&S consultants lack specialist knowledge of the stone industry.

• There was a lot of support for a Best Practice method statement on main contractors sites for how to approach onsite working (who does the first site visit, who moves materials around etc).

• A live issue for several members was the question of free displays for kitchen showrooms. The idea of model terms and conditions for showroom displays (emphasising retention of title and creating a common process of, for example, invoicing in advance) was well received.  The idea being that you can always choose to waive your rights. But that if you don’t have a clear contract in place, you risk ending up in acrimonious disputes if the showroom later decides to sell his display. Or, come to that, his business.

• The discussion then extended to model T&Cs for all clients – one set for consumers, who are covered by Sales Of Goods Act etc; one for the kind of sub-contract/brokerage agreements with showroom customers, to cover us re who-is-responsible-for-what-and-how-far in the event of consultations, samples, call-backs and disputes; one for house builders and commercial contractor clients.  Any volunteers to get this rolling?

The next face-to-face meeting will be on January 23, kindly hosted by Brian at Granite Tops in Preston. Please contact Chris if you’d like to come, or if you have any ideas for the agenda.

wff featured in Focus Piedra:
Spanish Digital Newspaper of the Stone Industry

In the United Kingdom there are more than 2,000 companies dedicated to the manufacture of Worktops. Andy Phillips is the co-founder of the Worktop Fabricators Federation. Focus Piedra interviewed him to learn about the concerns and demands of the sector.

MEMBERS MEETING:
guests of our latest Anchor SponsoR - Porcelanosa’s XTone brand.

Twenty seven of the WFF’s more northerly members met in Warrington on September 13 as guests of our latest Anchor Sponsor - Porcelanosa’s XTone brand. XTone are committed to rolling out the brand only to fabricators who can demonstrate their commitment to quality and best practice by being members of the WFF.  So there was already plenty of common ground to explore before we even get into the formal business. 

As always, the main purpose of the meeting was to allow members and sponsors to share experiences and best practice in an open and informal environment. But while they were on site, Members were invited to witness a live laser-templating demonstration from Stonegate, discuss adhesives, sealants and treatments with ASM and attend as many as four short ‘teach-in’ sessions, including material from: 

• The Department for Education explaining how the new T-Levels scheme for school leavers might help fabricators recruit trained shop-floor staff.

• Caesarstone introducing their Masters Of Stone on-line H&S and machining best practice training programme.

• The Diabetes Safety Organisation offering advice, tips and cost-efficient ways to anticipate the risks to 7% of your workforce.

• DalPrete demonstrating the latest fresh-from-the-labs thinking on anti-acid.

The DalPrete discussion was particularly well attended, given the HSE’s announcement that silica dust is once again upon the enforcement priority list this autumn.

And given the interest in T-Levels, WFF has arranged a detailed follow-up webinar discussion with the Department for Education, to take place on October 4 at 11:00 AM.  More details to follow.

Further details about the WFF and future meetings from Chris Pateman:

administrator@worktopfabricators.org

members meeting:
WFF seeks out better equipped staff in better equipped factories

Using technology and training to keep staff safe and productive was at the heart of the Worktop Fabricators Federation’s June members meeting.

Worktop fabricators from as far afield as Glasgow, Worthing and Cardiff swelled a capacity audience at Bellagio Stone’s Leamington Spa headquarters.

The day saw Caesarstone launch their Masters Of Stone on-line training and safety programme; the Department for Education introduce the government’s new T-Levels scheme for school-leavers; Stonegate and LPE go head-to-head on the merits of laser templating in the showroom and brand new sponsor Stone Industry Group sample real-time dust levels as they walked through Bellagio’s impressive production line.

“It was a really great day,” said WFF director Simon Souter. “Plenty to think about, plenty to talk about and plenty of opportunities to touch base with fellow fabricators and suppliers – which is really what the WFF’s all about.”

Further details about the WFF and future meetings from Chris Pateman:

administrator@worktopfabricators.org

KBB focus:
wff’s mark mills explains why making the right worktop choice really matters

The Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) has launched an all-industry guide to help showroom staff and consumers select the right type of worktop for their needs – we talk to WFF director Mark Mills to hear all about it.

Q: TELL US ABOUT THE WFF’S NEW GUIDE TO ENGINEERED AND NATURAL STONE SURFACES.

A: The WFF Surface guide is simply a one-stop, no-nonsense guide to help retailers, designers and the consumer understand the benefits of engineered and natural stones. We wanted to dismiss any myths, provide some 'Do’s and Don’ts' and also advise how to care for and maintain their work top once it’s fitted.  

It also has a handy Materials Comparison table to help the user navigate the various material options and arrive at the right choice for their application.  

Rather than asking showrooms to carry another set of booklets, the WFF are providing a handy ‘pop up’ desktop poster with a QR code that directs you straight to the WFF Surface guide. These are available free of charge for kitchen retailers, design studios and fellow members of the WFF so that they can provide and reference the guide immediately at the design and selection process – helping customers make a thorough and well-informed decision.

Q: What is it responding to and why have you launched it now?

A: The majority of designers, architects and consumers applying stone surfaces to project designs don’t really have a full understanding of the properties and nature of the materials being installed. There has been a longstanding misconception that if you have a stone surface then it will be ‘indestructible’. 

If consumers had a greater understanding of the materials that were being installed, what to expect from them and how to care for them post installation it would be of great benefit to all involved. 

Fabricators manufacturing these materials on a daily basis are fully aware of what you can and cannot do with engineered and natural stone products, but it was becoming very apparent that the end users weren’t! So we thought the surface guide would at least supply some basic knowledge about the products being installed so everyone can make an informed decision as to how to maintain and look after their surfaces.

Q: Why should kitchen showrooms get on board and what support are you giving them?

A: Kitchen design is a complex process, and it is the role of the showroom designer to be a competent expert and guide to the bewildering choices of appliances, cabinets, surface finishes and use cases that abound.  

Customers value and pay for your service. And in return it is incumbent on designers and sales staff to remain abreast of the constantly design issues, products and regulations. This is a tremendously difficult task: over the past years there has been an explosion of new surface materials – Sintered, Ceramic, Marble, Acrylic, Quartz, Granite, Semi-precious stones – the list keeps expanding.  

Manufacturers advertise heavily directly to your customers, but it is essential that showrooms can give competent advice to select appropriately and avoid issues later. The better informed you are the higher chance of a sale – and the lower chance of a callback.

The Stone Worktops Guide is an essential training resource for your staff. The initial suitability matrix provides a quick reference that is helpful to staff and your customers. Your local Worktop Fabricators Federation member will be happy to provide expert advice to support you in your sales and design process.

Q: What things in particular should retailers be doing to manage consumer expectations about work surfaces?

A: Retailers should ensure their sales and design team are aware that every type of work surface has benefits and limitations. Part of the reason for the WFF Guide is to help retailers understand the differences and provide a ‘hook’ to help their discussions with the customer as part of the design process.   

Designers should:
* Ensure that they consider both the support requirements and maximum sizes when selecting cabinet ranges and layouts, designing for success.
 * Ensure the customer is aware that there is some batch variation between samples and the final material.  
* At design stage, make sure they understand the pattern of a full sheet of material and, if using a natural stone, consider getting photographs of the material for approval prior to cutting.  
* Discuss the position of cutouts, pattern flows and joins.   
* For unusual designs be prepared to get your worktop fabricator or supplier representative involved before designs are finalised.

Retailers should also discuss care and maintenance with customers, consider the likely effects of heat and strong chemicals, and ensure that the worktop care is consistent with customers’ lifestyle and usage.

Thank you to KBB Focus for your continued support. The original article can be found on KBB Focus

bathroom & kitchen update:
wff - helping the consumer choose stone

The Worktop Fabricators Federation has launched an all-industry guide to help showroom staff and their customers select the right stone worktop. “Too often, consumers are led to believe a stone worktop is bulletproof because it’s the most resilient, only to end up disappointed after children have climbed on it, hot pans have been placed on it or the supporting cabinets shift in response to floor-compounds shrinking,” says WFF director Mark Mills.

“Call-backs and disappointments are uncomfortable for all concerned – especially when so many of them could have been avoided by better hand-holding during the selection process.”

The WFF’s Guide to Engineered and Natural Stone Surfaces is an authoritative, readable, no-nonsense guide to the selection, care and maintenance of worktops in quartz, granite, marble and sintered stone materials.

It includes a useful comparison of common worktops (including wood, laminate and glass) for ease of maintenance, coping with hot pans, cleaning, cutting and outdoor use.

Kitchen showrooms can join in with educating their customers, by using the WFF’s discreet A6-size point of sale boards. These mini freestanding posters for counter tops and desks carry a QR code so customers can download the detailed guide directly from the WFF’s website, without showrooms having to carry stocks of bulky printed brochures.

Thank you to BKU for your continued support. The original article can be found on Bathroom & Kitchen Update

KBB REVIEw:
WFF LAUNCHES ‘VITAL’ STONE SURFACE GUIDE FOR RETAILERS & CONSUMERS

The Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) has launched an all-industry guide to help showroom staff better advise consumers when buying stone worktops.

The WFF’s ‘Guide to Engineered and Natural Stone Surfaces’ was launched at the kbb Birmingham show on March 7 and has had more than 200 downloads from the organisation’s website.

“Too often, consumers are led to believe that because an engineered or natural stone worktop is the most resilient, it must therefore be bullet-proof,” said owner of work surface fabrications company, Stone System of London, and WFF director Mark Mills. “Only to end up disappointed after children have climbed on it, hot pans have been placed on it, harsh chemicals have been used to clean it or the supporting cabinetry has shifted in response to floor-compounds or plaster drying and shrinking.

“Call backs and disappointments are costly and uncomfortable for all concerned — especially when we know so many of them could have been avoided by better hand-holding during the selection process.”

The WFF says the guide steers a road between manufacturers’ detailed cutting instructions on the one hand, and customers’ unsubstantiated assumptions on the other. And that the result is an “authoritative, readable, no-nonsense guide to the selection, care and maintenance of worktops in quartz, granite, marble, quartzite and sintered stone materials.”

To back the launch, and to encourage showrooms to join in with educating their customers, the WFF has produced A6-sized point of sale displays. Designed to stand discreetly on in-store displays, the mini-posters carry a QR code which enables customers to download the guide directly from the WFF’s website.

“We know professional kitchen studios share our concern when customers feel they have been oversold the benefits of a stone worktop,” said Mills.

“None of us want disappointed customers. And none of us benefit when the stone industry seems to be failing to live up to its promises — even if they are promises nobody who understands stone would ever have made in the first place.

“The answer is to work together to manage customers’ expectations and better professionalise the whole process of choosing, specifying, maintaining and above all enjoying a well-performing, fit for purpose stone worktop. This guide is a first small but vital contribution to helping our industry’s customers along that journey.”

Thank you to kbb review for your continued support. The original article can be found on kbb review

zoller:
Technology makes the most of what you’ve got

Reducing down-time, improving machine wear and taking the guesswork out of colour-matching:  three powerful ways in which fabricators are investing in technology to get more out of their existing resources.  

That was the message from the WFF demonstration day event on March 8th, organised by sponsors LPE and hosted by Zoller, the machine tool measuring experts.

Zoller demonstrated their Smile Compact and Pilot tool pre-setters/measurers – both in theory and in warts-and-all practice, thanks to some real-life cutting and polishing tool heads brought in by the attendees from WFF members Natural Stone Surfaces.

The theory is certainly sound, said Zoller sales manager Andy Dyche: checking tools are within acceptable gauge, and adjusting CNC machines to allow for observable differential wear on each tool in a set is bound to result in better machine life, less careful, cautious ‘touching-on’ and more repeatable operations.  

“The difficulty is that unless you are measuring in the first place, it’s very hard to attribute costs, parts or downtime just to tool-setting,” he said. “Most foremen and machine operators can’t do that with certainty. But they do understand the costs of re-work. And they certainly understand that if we can prevent one spindle-collision, we will have paid the cost of the machine.” 

Zoller reckon busy worktop fabricators who incorporate regular tool-measuring into their tool-room routines should expect to be able to recover the £12k+ cost of a machine within 12 months. 

Also on display – and backed with a similar pay-back claim in terms of reduced re-work and better use of off-cuts, was LPE’s X-Rite portable spectrophotometer. 

James Weston and Chris Hill from Natural Stone Surfaces shared their experiences of how how these devices have taken the guesswork out of offcut-matching at NSS.  Particularly useful on white and marble-effect quartz, NSS are now using two spectrometers to colour-match to a degree of precision beyond the human eye.  

“We’re at the stage now where our suppliers are using the same equipment to higher tolerances on their production lines, so they know their product will meet our quality standards,” said James Weston. “They paid for themselves within six months by taking the guesswork – and the heavy lifting -- out of selecting off-cuts to complete jobs.”  

LPE are offering WFF members exclusive pricing on Zoller and X-rite machines.  Contact Carl Sharkey for full details and a no-obligation demonstration.

carl@lpe.ltd

press release:
STONE WORKTOP FABRICATORS CLARIFY CONSUMER CHOICE

The Worktop Fabricators Federation has launched an all-industry guide to help showroom staff and consumers select the right type of worktop for their needs.

“Too often, consumers are led to believe an engineered or natural stone worktop is bullet-proof – only to end up disappointed after children have climbed on it, hot pans have been placed on it, harsh chemicals have been used to clean it or the supporting cabinetry has shifted in response to floor-compounds or plaster drying and shrinking,” says WFF director Mark Mills.  

“Call-backs and disappointments are costly and uncomfortable for all concerned – especially when we know so many of them could have been avoided by better hand-holding during the selection process.”

The WFF’s new Guide to Engineered and Natural Stone Surfaces was launched at the KBB Kitchens, Bathrooms and Interiors exhibition on March 7.  

The guide steers a road between manufacturers’ detailed cutting instructions on the one hand, and customers’ unsubstantiated assumptions on the other.  The result is an authoritative, readable, no-nonsense guide to the selection, care and maintenance of worktops in quartz, granite, marble, quartzite and sintered stone materials.

Its opening introduction, for example includes a useful table comparing common worktop types (including wood, laminate and glass) in terms of ease of maintenance, coping with hot pans, cleaning, cutting and outdoor use.  Along with advice to:  

“Relax. There are many myths created around looking after stone. The single greatest myth is that it should be bulletproof. Nobody ever said this. We do not expect wood to be impervious to everyday wear and tear, nor do we expect carpets or other surfaces to be bulletproof. All surfaces will wear in different ways. But your WFF fabricator will educate you about how the different surfaces will perform and on how best to look after them further in this guide…”

To back the launch, and to encourage kitchen showrooms to join in with educating their customers, the WFF has produced neat A6-size point of sale vanes.  Designed to stand discreetly on in-store displays, the mini-posters carry a QR code which enables customers to download the detailed guide directly from the WFF’s website.

“We know professional kitchen studios share our concern when customers feel they have been over-sold the benefits of a stone worktop,” says Mark Mills. 

“None of us wants disappointed customers. And none of us benefits when the stone industry seems to be failing to live up to its promises – even if they are promises nobody who understands stone would ever have made in the first place.

“The answer is to work together to manage customers’ expectations -- and better professionalise the whole process of choosing, specifying, maintaining and above all enjoying a well-performing, fit for purpose stone worktop. 

“This guide is a first small but vital contribution to helping our industry’s customers along that journey.” 

The WFF guide can be downloaded free of charge by clicking the linking below:

THE ICING ON THE CAKE

WFF celebrated its second birthday at the KBB show on March 7:  we were launched on the Caesarstone stand at KBB2020, just two weeks before the first covid lockdown.  So being back again this year was a special moment for us.

press release:
STONE WORKTOP FABRICATORS ENDORSE KBB EXHIBITION

The Worktop Fabricators Federation has become an official sponsor of KBB, the Birmingham kitchens, bathrooms and interiors exhibition. 

“Endorsing KBB is a natural step for the WFF,” says director Andy Phillips.  

“We launched the Worktop Fabricators Federation at KBB only two years ago – just weeks before the first lock-down.  Both the show and the WFF have come through two incredibly testing years and emerged sharper and stronger as a result.  

“Giving our endorsement to the KBB exhibition is an acknowledgement of the importance of a national event – and a reflection of the growing importance of made-to-measure stone interiors right across the sector.”

The decision sees WFF joining other established industry quality campaigners like KBSA, the Bathroom Manufacturers Association and BIKBBI as official KBB Partners.  It also gives the WFF an important platform to communicate the benefits of working with professional worktop fabricators to the kitchen studios and interior designers who make up the majority of KBB’s visitor base. 

“Designing, templating, creating and fitting stone worktops is an exacting and professional business,” says Andy Phillips.  

“As the market has grown and matured, so installers have increasingly become concerned at the sometimes costly consequences of dealing with untried suppliers.  Customers want to know that all trades involved in their projects are capable, professional and reliable.  And the worktop industry needs to provide the Kitchen Companies with the very best service.

“WFF aims to do everything it can to capture and develop the professionalism of our industry – giving both customers and investors confidence that in dealing with a WFF member they are getting the very best product and the best service.

“Working alongside KBB is a demonstration that professional, reliable and safety-minded stone fabricators are vital and intimate contributors to the wider goal of maintaining the high-value, high-quality reputation of the whole K&B and interiors sector.”