Radio Stone Update
Radio Stone Update
Will Congress Slow Down Multi-Million Silicosis Cases?
00:00 Brought to You By Quantra
00:22 Intro
00:33 Congress to Restrict Silicosis Lawsuits?
02:23 A Word from Quantra
03:35 U.S. Quartz Makers Seek "Safeguard" Protection
05:56 New Stone Show Set for November 2027
06:54 Cersaie Keeps Pace in 2025
09:07 Atlas Concorde Expands Porcelain Slab Facilities
10:30 Xiamen Show Seeking New Exhibitors
12:12 Arizona Tile Opens New SoCal Location
12:58 Chitty New CTEF Chairman
14:19 Outro
14:47 Brought to You By Quantra
Radio Stone Update is presented on the second and fourth Wednesdays every month at 9 a.m. everywhere on Earth with the latest news and insights in hard surfaces. Check our archives at www.radiostoneupdate.com.
00:22
Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest in hard surfaces industry news from Radio Stone Update.
00:33
Legislation introduced last month in Congress apparently would exempt manufacturers and sellers of natural and man-made stone slabs from liability lawsuits involving silicosis, and perhaps other unspecified dangers.
H.R.5437, sponsored by Rep. Tom Mc Clintock, a Republican from California, was introduced on Sept. 17 and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. No hearing date has been set.
The “Protection of Lawful Commerce in Stone Slab Products Act” would stop civil actions being filed in any federal or state court and would also dismiss any pending lawsuits on the date the bill becomes a federal law. It specifically stops civil actions against manufacturers and sellers of stone slab products for injuries caused during fabrication, including exposure to respirable silica or other substances arising or relating to the fabrication of such products by third parties.
Another purpose of the bill is to “preserve consumers’ access to a supply of stone slab products while protecting manufacturers and sellers from frivolous civil actions while preserving a lawful industry that employes tens of thousands of Americans.”
The legislation defines a stone slab product as, “made with quartz, mineral, crystal, glass, porcelain, or other stone, ceramic or similar material that has been shipped or transported in state or foreign commerce.”
A seller under the proposed law would include an importer, distributor, retailer or supplier of such products. One of the bill’s co-sponsors is Andy Biggs, a Republican from Arizona. Both Biggs and McClintock serve on the House Judiciary Committee.
The Natural Stone Institute is holding a webinar on this topic later today.
03:35
The U.S. International Trade Commission – the USITC – has been asked to add a tariff that would likely change the supply of engineered stone in the United States. The request asks for a 50% duty on imported materials from all countries, coupled with a quota system.
The filing, made by three U.S.-based quartz-surface producers, alleges that serious injury has been caused to the U.S. industry by imports of quartz surfaces. Unlike previous complaints heard by the USITC, this petition seeks what it calls “safeguard relief” that offers different solutions and a direct path to approval by Pres. Donald Trump.
The petition is on behalf of a group calling itself the Quartz Manufacturing Alliance of America, or the QMAA. Members include Cambria Company LLC, Dal-Tile LLC and Guidoni USA. Materials distributor Architectural Surfaces, Inc., is also included as a non-manufacturing member.
The QMAA cites what it calls “the massive surge” in imported material from 2020-2024 as a serious injury to U.S. based manufacturers causing them an inability to produce at a reasonable level of profit, idling U.S. production and creating significant unemployment or underemployment within the domestic industry.
The QMAA also views previous actions by the USITC with unfair trade tariffs on engineered stone from China, India, and Turkey as insufficient to stop the decline of U.S.-based production. The petition cites the transshipment of products through third countries or those misclassified to evade payment of the anti-dumping and countervailing duties.
The petition didn’t offer an estimate of the amount of materials transshipped or misidentified, and economic evidence of harm caused by the imports was not revealed because those figures are considered confidential business information and redacted from the public version of the filing.
Safeguard petitions require an investigation by the USITC, with a finding within 120 days. If the USITC finds justification for safeguard action, it must present a course of action within 60 days to the president, who then makes the final decision.
05:56
The Stone Equipment and Supply Alliance (SESA) is launching a new trade show for the industry. The event will debut Nov. 3-5, 2027, in Indianapolis.
The as-yet-unnamed show will be the stone and surface fabrication industry’s first standalone trade show in more than 15 years and is aimed at fabricators of countertops and dimensional materials. The event will showcase the latest in equipment, supplies and surface materials, including quartz, natural stone and engineered products. The show will also have a strong educational component.
“Our goal with SESA’s new show is to create a modern, dynamic trade show experience at a lower cost, that responds to the real-world demands of today’s fabrication professionals,” says Mike Schlough, SESA president.
More information on the new show will be released as it becomes available.
06:54
Despite a challenging market situation and ongoing international crises, this year’s Bologna, Italy-based International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings – Cersaie – held its own in the marketplace.
The 42nd edition of the show, held at the Bologna Exhibition Center from Sept. 22-26, drew 94, 577 visitors. That figure is a less than one percent decline from 2024. The number of Italians attending the show increased by 3%, to 49,671. However, international attendance was down 4.6%.
Much of the decline in attendance is attributed to transport strikes affecting trains and public transportation on the first and last days of the show.
The event fully occupied 16 halls, with a total floor space of 155,000 m2 (1,668,405 ft2) hosting 627 exhibitors, more than half of whom are ceramic tile manufacturers. The remainder included bathroom furnishings producers and companies involved in installation, raw materials, new surfaces and related services.
Of those exhibitors, 39% of the total came from 29 countries outside Italy.
Cersaie is sponsored by Confindustria Ceramica. Its chairman, Augusto Ciarrocchi, said the enduring appeal of the show enabled exhibitors to maximize their investments.
He added, “Our companies were particular impressed by the quality of the distributors, architects, installers and real estate professionals they met in Bologna. The Italian ceramic industry remains the world’s leader thanks to its investments, the quality of its design and innovation and its unflagging commitment to environmental and social sustainability.”
That comes despite challenges faced by the industry including new import tariffs, increasingly aggressive dumping from certain countries and a loss of competitiveness caused by government regulations.
Next year’s Cersaie will take place in Bologna on Sept. 21-25, 2026.
09:07
Fiorano Modenese, Italy-based Atlas Concorde S.p.A., announces the next steps in its wide-ranging industrial development plan by expanding production at its Finale Emilia and Fiorano Modenese plants.
At the Finale Emilia plant, porcelain stoneware slab production will double by the end of 2025. That will be followed in 2026 by construction of a new logistics warehouse that will be integrated with the plant.
At 19,000 m2 (205,000 ft2), the structure will be covered by the latest generation photovoltaic system which will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 1,400 tons per year. The installation will involve approximately 5,400 panels.
At Fiorano Modenese, opposite the company’s headquarters, a new logistics hub dedicated to porcelain stoneware slabs will take shape. At approximately 100,000 m2 (1.08 million ft2), the area will include a highly automated and digitized logistics warehouse designed to support the new production from Finale Emilia.
The two projects by Atlas Concorde will bring the company’s total investment in the slab sector to 100 million euros. In total, the company has invested more than 170 million euros over the last four years.
10:30
The 26th China Xiamen International Stone Fair is seeking exhibitors for the world’s largest stone industry show on March 16-19, 2026, at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center.
The Xiamen show offers several opportunities to display products and services beyond the show floor. For instance, Launch Out @ XSF contains four releasing conferences covering everything from machinery and tools to engineered stone surfaces. Exhibitors are invited to make presentations on their latest products and technology offerings.
The Natural Stone Varieties Collection is a themed exhibition that presents trendy and unique samples of natural stone to help buyers and visitors develop a general understanding of the market and source the right materials for a job.
And, two design exhibitions, Xiamen Habitat Design & Life Festival and Stone Infinite Product Design Show are among the most-visited destinations at the Xiamen Stone Fair. They aim to explore stone applications in various scenarios and present the beauty of stone.
Exhibitors in the natural stone sector are eligible to take part in these exhibitions and work with renowned designers. The curation of the two design exhibitions for next year has already started and international exhibitors are welcome to participate in these projects.
To reserve space at the 26th China Xiamen International Stone Fair, go to info@stonefair.org.cn. Do allow at least three months for shipment of materials and a visa application.
In other industry news:
12:12
Arizona Tile has opened a new location in Anaheim, Calif., that gives customers a convenient way to shop for both tile and slab products. The new showroom, located on La Palma Ave., is 15 minutes from the company’s current Anaheim location
At almost 41,000 ft2, the new Anaheim Slab & Tile showroom is designed to enhance the customer’s experience and includes installation samples and an on-site touch screen to help customers see how different products look.
Additionally, the new showroom allows customers the opportunity to select tile and slabs together, while moving the slab selection indoors. The company’s previous outdoor location will be used exclusively as a distribution center.
Arizona Tile was founded in San Diego in 1977 and currently supplies tile and stone to commercial and residential distributors in 10 western states.
12:58
And, the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) announces that Noah Chitty is the new chairman of its board of directors.
Chitty is the vice president of sustainability and technical services at AHF Products – formerly Crossville. He succeeds Mark Shannon who has served as chairman since 2020.
Under Shannon’s leadership, CTEF launched new training classes at the 100-500 level, and introduced the pilot Certified Ceramic Tile Inspector or CCTI program. During that time, CTEF also celebrated its 2,000th certified tile installer and relocated to Nashville. Shannon will continue to serve as an emeritus director of CTEF.
Chitty brings more than 25 years of experience in the tile industry to the chairman’s position. A graduate of Clemson University’s ceramic engineering program, he has held positions with Crossville, StonePeak Ceramics and the Tile Council of North America.
In his current position with AHF, he oversees sustainability initiatives for all AHF brands and technical services for the tile division. Chitty also chairs the ISO/TC 189 committee responsible for ceramic tile standards.
The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that’s the home of the certified tile installer program, an industry-recognized third-party assessment of installer skill and knowledge.
14:19
Remember, for the latest information on hard surface imports, a new edition of Hard-Surface Report is available at www.hardsurfacereport.com. For a transcript of this broadcast, go to www.radiostoneupdate.com. I’m K. Schipper for Radio Stone Update and we’ll see you here again soon.