How Brembana CNC machinery took SP Stonemasters to the next level
The story of SP Stonemasters began when founder Sam Arrage landed in Australia, over thirty years ago. Coming from war-torn Lebanon, he immediately started looking for hard work to take his mind off recent events. So, he set about doing just that.
Sam’s first job was in cement rendering. Then he entered the bench top industry. It wasn’t long before Sam went solo, developing a client base of his own.
“My father originally started the business in 2000. He came to the country in the 1990s working for other people. Then he opened up the business in 2000. I used to run it with him, going to work as a little kid. Once I finished school in 2010, I started helping him and taking over,” says Paul, Sam’s son.
For most of his life, Paul watched his father craft bench tops by hand. It was a slow, dusty process. He was determined to change that – and once he stepped in as Director, he got his chance.
“I wanted to implement a lot of technology into the business. I wanted to bring a new generation of machinery into the business. Back when the business started, they used to do everything manually. My goal was to invest in new machinery that makes everything easier, more accurate, more precise, and you can take on more work and more detailed stuff. You can be very confident in what you do because you have machines to back you up,” he explains.
Choosing the right stone CNC machinery provider pays off
As time went by, SP Stone acquired automated technology. They invested in saws to minimise direct hand-tool work, yet manual handling was still part of the process. Looking for a less labour-intensive solution, their next investment was a saw that had the capabilities for automatic processing. The trouble was, nobody had shown them how to use it. That’s when Paul and his team realised it was time to get serious about service.
“Innovync approached us at the end of 2020. That’s when the saw started playing up on us. It was like an angel was sent from heaven. The first machine we bought was the Kosmos. It was the best purchase we ever bought. We’ve had the Kosmos for 2 years now – since January after Covid 2021. Obviously we’ve never had a saw like this before.”
The difference was immediately noticeable. Where tool changes had been handled manually, the machine now did everything. Where measuring tapes were used, CAD took its place. Overall productivity soared – and it wasn’t long before Paul and his team saw another opportunity for growth. This time, they invested in a CNC machining centre.
“Our focus has always been on high-end work; high-end kitchens and jobs like that. It requires a lot of detail work. The Speed came in last October. The reason why we got the Speed is because we do a lot of French Provincial kitchens and hamper-style kitchens. We used to use a small router to do the detail work. It used to take the boys 3-4 days to do one kitchen. It was very time-consuming. If we wanted it to come out 100%, it would take too long. We do about 5 undermount sinks every day. We had a machine from another competitor, but there was a lot of work involved to change tools. You always had to put an employee on it when you wanted to change tools. We wanted to go bigger – and you can put more than one piece on the machine. That’s why we invested in the CNC. Dominik was sending us videos and brochures. It was very different to anything else we saw. We sat down with Dominik and went through everything.”
What used to take the team 3-4 days now takes a mere 2-3 hours. The upgrade has meant that SP Stone is now heavily reliant on the Kosmos and Speed to push out high order volumes, safe in the knowledge that issues swiftly get resolved.
“What our issue was with machines from other companies was the service. Our deal with the Kosmos was, no matter what the machine is, the service is more important than the machine. Innovync’s service was guaranteed. I’ve asked a lot of stonemasons around that had the machine, they were very happy with the service. When we got the Kosmos, they guided us every step of the way. When we got the Speed installed, I was on the phone with Dominik till 11pm at night before Christmas.’
That’s the standard of service that you can expect from us. Paul and his team had learned that after-sales care was critical to their success. They made it a key factor in the decision-making process – along with silicosis prevention.
Invest in clean work
“That’s another aspect of why we went for the Speed. SafeWork was coming to our factory trying to minimise dust work. We invested in this machine to minimise manual grinding. We have been able to minimse 95% of the dry grinding. Everything gets done with water on the machine, which motivates the employees to come to work because they know there’s minimal dust. A lot of employees get scared to go to work because they feel like the environment isn’t safe. When you have machines in place, they feel like it’s a healthier environment to work in.”
With the combination of highly productive Brembana machinery, reliable after-sales service and dust minimisation, SP Stone is set for a bright future. Safe to say, a true transformation has taken place, setting a strong foundation for the Arrage family.
Take inspiration from their story and think about how you can transform your own business. Reach out to our reps if you need anything – we’re here for you.