Majid Khan explains how Caesarstone is guiding the surfaces industry through change with safer, sustainable, and design-led solutions.
The surfaces industry is undergoing significant transformation – can you tell us what you see as the most fundamental changes currently reshaping the sector?
Over the last decade, there has been a steady move towards engineered stone surfaces in the home, and these have replaced low-cost laminate solutions due to their superior performance and long-term durability.
This has really ramped up in the last 2-3 years and there is now an expectation amongst consumers that their kitchen will have an engineered stone worktop. What is making life harder for developers is a raft of new materials, such as porcelain, coming onto the market coupled with a slew of unbranded materials of unknown provenance. Coupled with this, issues in other global markets around the fabrication processes with engineered stone are causing confusion amongst housebuilders and consumers alike.
Caesarstone is trying to help cut through this confusion with a simple product portfolio of materials that people can trust. These include low silica and silica free designs as well as class leading porcelain surfaces that can be used for a variety of applications.
There is a strong demand for safer, more sustainable solutions too, and an increasingly long-term expectation around quality, in both the retail and commercial markets. Engineered surfaces that showcase a flair for design are now amongst the most valued of investments in new builds and renovations.
There is also far greater diligence on the performance and material composition of specified surfaces; are there transparent material declarations available and are the surfaces we’re buying fully tested and certified? We are seeing a growing realisation amongst buyers in developers that “not all stone is the same”, so there is increasing faith in established surface brands with clear and available product data, that is backed up by in-market service and support.
Excitingly, we are also seeing an exploration in using engineered stone surfaces beyond the established applications of kitchen countertops and vanities. We see an intent from designers to combine the striking aesthetic tones, textures and motifs found in our range with the same dependable levels of performance and reliability into other areas of individual housing units such as the bedrooms and living rooms, and into mixed use settings that may form part of higher-end developments, such as welcome lobbies, on-site gyms and spas, and even workspaces.
How is Caesarstone leading the way in addressing these changes, particularly in the commercial housebuilder and developer markets?
There are several roles that Caesarstone currently plays in the market. One is as designer and manufacturer of surfaces, and here we are leading the way via the development of new materials – quartz, low silica, silica free and porcelain – designs that suit both the commercial and aesthetic requirements of the housebuilder market.
We also act like a consultant to companies tyring to navigate what is currently a very confusing category landscape, offering training and advice to procurement and sales teams. Our UK and ROI Commercial team are here to help developers manage the sometimes less than certain world of commercial projects. Pricing, shipping, inventory management and just in time call off, delivery and installation advice is part of our standard project management offering.
Additionally, we’ve gone to great lengths to understand the housebuilder and developer market in the UK and are actively working with companies now to improve their material offerings in order to meet the expectations of their consumers. We know that the commercial housebuilder and developer markets can complicated by a number of influencing factors. The right material needs to meet the designer’s aesthetic vision, the functional demands of the space and be supplied consistently according to the construction schedule of the project.
Aside from all this, we continue to offer comprehensive ESG policy includes ensuring our products adhere to leading standards in environmentally conscious building design, ensuring our surfaces meet the stringent requirements that commercial developers depend on…
Read the full interview in our April edition.
