The Cosentino Group expanded its natural-stone operations here last month, opening a new corporate center and a new granite factory.



The Maceal, Spain-based stone conglomerate opened the Cosentino Latina Center in Vitória on Feb. 25, coinciding with the first day of the Vitória Stone Fair. Cosentino Chairman Francisco Martínez-Cosentino presided over opening ceremonies;among the 300 attendees were Brett Rugo, Marble Institute of America (MIA) president, and Claudio Denicoli Dos Santos, the Brazilian Secretary of the Environment,

The center represents a new multi-use concept for Cosentino in combining distribution facilities, showrooms, and exhibition areas, as well as a training classroom dedicated to the profession of natural stone. The facility encompasses 484,375 ft², with areas dedicated to professional development and offering training on new production techniques and processes for natural stone and product innovations.

Also, 215,278 ft² of the center will be devoted to warehouse space.

Cosentino Latina provides most of the granite that the company offers worldwide, particularly for the U.S. market. Last year, Brazil's Ministry for Development, Industry and Exterior Commerce recognized Cosentino Latina as the third-largest company for natural-stone exports in the country.

Since 2002, Cosentino invested $40 million with its Cosentino Latina operations. With the opening of a new granite factory – also last month – the company now can process 10,762 ft² per day.

Latina's granite factory is currently the largest Brazilian manufacturing plant for natural stone built in the last decade, with pioneering environmental systems such as the collection and recovery of rainwater and an integrated platform for selective waste collection.

"The addition of the Cosentino Center in Vitória will be a great resource for industry professionals to learn about best practices for sustainability in this industry," noted Dos Santos. "The company is focused on exemplary sustainable development, both regarding its people and its production processes."

"We are an organization committed to our industry and the trade of stone masonry, both here in Brazil and around the world," Martínez-Cosentino said. "Brazil is a current and future pledge for Cosentino, as it is the ideal market for the company's products, and because of the tremendous potential of the people working at Latina."