Creative Colours - A Spectrum of Inspiration - Tile and Stone Journal

NEWS & COMMENT
Tilers challenged to take the speed test
Tilers nationwide are being challenged to prove how
fast they are by entering the Speed Tiler 2010 competition,
supported by BAL Variset XP. The event promises
contestants the chance to win major prizes. The
three fastest tilers in each local heat will share £1,000
worth of cash and other prizes, as well as the chance
to be crowned national champion.
Winning is easy. All contestants have to do is: fix 10
tiles to a given specification in the fastest time. Heats
are already scheduled in locations ranging from
Edinburgh to Brighton, with more being added all the
time. Tilers can register in advance or simply turn up
at their local event, where all materials and equipment
will be provided.
The national competition is supported by BAL
Variset XP, said to be the world’s first controllable-setting tile adhesive. It was recently
voted winner of The Tile Association 2010 Award for Best Innovation.
The current schedule and full details of the competition can be found at www.speedtiler.com.
100% Design set to celebrate its 16th birthday in some style
Celebrating its 16th birthday this September (23rd to 26th September), 100% Design
London will be showcasing over 4,000 designs. The exhibition is promising a mix of
future trends, design technology and innovation covering every field from workspaces
to hotels, spas and residential interiors. 100% Design London will include furniture,
accessories, lighting, textiles, kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms first hand.
The vetting process through the 100% Design Panel 1 is said to guarantee that only
original designs are exhibited. With awards and competitions running through the
four days highlighting projects and products, and industry bodies including British
Council, British Institute of Interior Design, Interior Design Association and Design
Guild Mark offering high levels of knowledge through seminars, talks and advice clinics,
there should be plenty for the visitor to enjoy. Designs from Corian; La Murrina;
Grohe; Rauzas; Limited Edition; Himacs; Fjord Fiesta; LK Hjelle and Wik & Walsoe are
already scheduled. www.100percentdesign.co.uk
Acimac report offers some cause for industry optimism
The Italian ceramic machinery manufacturers’ first-quarter performance has brought a breath
of optimism to the tile industry. Acimac Studies Centre observed an overall increase in companies’
revenues in the first three months of the year, largely due to a recovery in exports
which account for more than 75% of the sector’s total turnover. The most dynamic markets
appear to be the Maghreb region, the Arabian peninsula and the rest of the Middle East,
along with Brazil and other South American countries.
“At Ceramics China (the most important Asian fair for supplies to the ceramic industry, held
in Guangzhou from 18th to 21st June), we observed buoyant demand not only in China but
in all the large producer countries in Asia,” explained Acimac Chairman, Pietro Cassani . “The
large numbers of visitors who converged on the approximately 1,000 sq. metre Italian pavilion
showed keen interest in the latest technological innovations as well as an appreciation of
the quality, reliability and high degree of automation of our machines.”
However Acimac stresses that it is still too early to talk of a long-term recovery. “Although
the results that have emerged from our study are certainly positive, particularly following a
year of severe contraction, they are still insufficient to allow us to say with certainty that the
crisis is over,” warned Cassani. “The increases reported in the last few months may in fact be
attributable to a rise in orders for renewal or replacement of plant components or consumables,
as is only natural after twelve months of stagnation,” he continued. .“In the next quarter
our companies are expecting to see a situation of stability in key markets rather than the
much-awaited recovery in large-scale industrial investments.”
MADELEINE HARRINGTON
“Manufacturers beware: a
school teacher who fell
and injured herself on
some tiles is suing the
manufacturer claiming
that the tiles were faulty
and not fit for the
purpose for which they
were sold. The tiles were
marketed as meeting or
exceeding slip resistance standards and guidelines.
They were installed in an elementary school
entrance hall and she fell in an area where snow and
ice had been brought in on the shoes of pupils.
She is seeking damages for loss of her leg, the
bottom half of which was amputated, medical
expenses, rehabilitation and life care expenses, pain
and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, permanent
disability and disfigurement, loss of earning
capacity and her husband is suing for loss of
consortium (which apparently means that he can no
longer enjoy his conjugal rights). She is also suing
the school for negligence claiming that they didn’t
maintain the area properly.
On a similar note, Morrisons has just been fined
£12,000 for installing terrazzo in a food preparation
area after being warned about their use by HSE
officials, who had had problems with them in other
stores and, while the blame (and cost) was not, to
my knowledge, passed on down the line to the
suppliers, there is nothing to say that in future there
may not be a claim for supplying products which are
subsequently found to be unsafe.
The first incident is, of course, happening in America
and even the local public seem divided between
those that know the teacher involved and say that
she must be doing it for the right reasons as she is a
“good and beautiful human being” and those who
find it ridiculous and money grabbing. But this sort
of attitude is becoming more widespread over here
too, and it pays to ensure that any claims you make
about the performance of your products, whether
manufacturing or selling them, are possible to prove
and that safety claims for floor tiles can be backed
up properly.”
Madeleine Harrington is a director of McMullin
Harrington Limited, a marketing consultancy specialising
in the tile and stone industry. She can be
contacted on madeleine@mcmh.co.uk.
8 TSJ JUNE 2010