ISFA Mineral Surfaces Tour and Fabrication Training Draws Attendees to Tennessee
ISFA members gathered in late February for the Mineral Surfaces Training session to gain hands-on training and fabrication demonstrations with sintered stone and ultra-compact surfaces. The training focused on getting a better understanding of the challenges and benefits of working with the growing categories of porcelain, sintered stone and ultra-compact surface, and the attendees are now ISFA certified.
The group visited host BB Industries at their Knoxville, Tennessee headquarters, as well as Smokey Mountain Tops’ fabrication shop, also in Knoxville, then they visited Crossville Tile’s automated manufacturing center, in Crossville, Tennessee.
At BB Industries, attendees engaged in strategy and informational sessions before touring BBI’s warehouse. On the visit to Smokey Mountain Tops, the group toured the fabrication facility and attended some porcelain fabricating demonstrations, with some added hands-on experience.
At the field trip to Crossville Tile, everyone was introduced to the porcelain tile manufacturing process, from combining the initial ingredients like sand and other materials, to curing the raw tiles in a long, hot kiln, to how the product is packaged and stored. The tour group also learned about Crossville’s recycling process of tile that does not meet their high-quality standards.
“This hands-on learning and training opportunity was a creative way for fabricators to learn more about some of the most popular surfaces today,” said BB Industries CEO Rick Stimac. “We were glad to host the group and get to see both some familiar and new faces at our offices, and partnering with Smokey Mountain Tops and Crossville offered the group an educational and fun experience. We appreciate everyone who was involved, including trainer Alexandre Stepanov, and ISFA for including BB Industries in this great learning experience.”
Since its beginning in 1994, BBI’s philosophy has been to offer the best customer service in the industry and the best value stone fabrication products. We are right there for our customers through all phases of business with education, training, and support from CNCs to blades. Our vendors and customers are valued partners. For more info, visit BBIndustriesLLC.com, and BBIndustriesLLC on social channels LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and facebook.com/BBIndustriesLLC.USA.