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Stone is the core of huge industries like construction, interior design and engineering. It is a very useful resource in heavy-duty applications making it highly versatile and flexible. Stone is available in a wide variety of shapes, textures and colors and has its uses in both commercial and residential projects.
Let us now look at some of the aspects you should take into consideration while searching for a stone supplier in China.
1. Certified Supplier
Most customers in the year want their products not only to be of the highest quality but to also be produced in an ethical way. This, and because of the highly competitive market in China, suppliers must do everything they can to earn the trust of their clients. One way to do this is through certifications.
This way, an outside investigative body, will verify the working conditions, environmental protection regulation and the quality management systems in the respective company. In China, certifications can be issued by both domestic and foreign certification bodies, some of them are:
China National Accreditation Service (CNAS)
(CCCI)
Here are some certificates you should look out for:
ISO
BSCI
Sedex
This document specifies that the company that holds it has successfully complied with quality management systems in accordance with the requirements and provisions of international standards. Such standards include, according to ISO (International Organization for Standardization) themselves:
Strong customer-focused practices
Implication and motivation of top management
Continuous improvements and methodical approaches
Using ISO will ensure companies provide consistent, high-quality products and services to their customers.
It is good practice to verify who is the accreditation body for the company you want to make business with to make sure they are an actual, recognized authority.
Generally, this document will include the following information:
Name of the company
Address
Certification number
Issue date and expiry date
Standard number and revision year (Ex: ISO :)
Certification scope
Certificate issuer name and logo
Accreditation company numbers and logo
Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) is a system meant to assure that supply chains are transparent and fair. Any supplier and manufacturer can become a BSCI member, provided they respect the following 11 core principles:
Fair remuneration
No bonded labor
No child labor
No precarious employment
Protection of the environment
Ethical business practices
Special protection for younger workers
Occupational health and safety
The Right of freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
No discrimination
Decent working hours
Suppliers need to be audited by appropriate accredited companies that will verify if those core principles are respected.
Following the audit, the supplier will receive a rating, showing their level of maturity, as stated by the BSCI System Manual:
A (Very good) &#; The auditee can maintain its continuous improvement process without a professional follow-up audit.
B (Good) &#; The auditee can maintain its continuous improvement process without a professional follow-up audit.
C (Acceptable) &#; The auditee is required to develop a related remediation plan within 60 days of the audit date. A professional follow-up audit will assess continuous improvement.
D (Insufficient) &#; The auditee is required to develop a remediation plan within 60 days of the audit date. A professional follow-up audit will assess continuous improvement.
E (Unacceptable) &#; The auditee is required to develop a remediation plan within 60 days of the audit date. A professional follow-up audit will assess continuous improvement.
Zero Tolerance &#; Immediate actions are required, the BSCI Zero Tolerance Protocol is to be followed in this case.
Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex) is a non-profit organization the sets social compliance standards for manufacturers and buyers.
As with BSCI, Sedex is not an actual certificate, but a platform developed for social compliance standards that are ensured (or verified) through on-site inspections conducted by accredited companies. These companies will conduct a SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit), that covers:
Labor standards
Health and safety
Environment ethics (optional)
Business ethics (optional)
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This audit is divided into two categories, a 2-pillar SMETA audit that covers:
Labor Standards
Health and Safety
Management Systems
Entitlement to work
Subcontracting and homeworking
Environmental assessment (shortened)
And a 4-pillar SMETA audit that covers all of the above plus Environmental assessment (extended) and business ethics.
2. Product Range
This refers to the range or category of products a stone or marble supplier may offer. The general rule is that suppliers tend to specialize in selling specific types of products. This is a good sign, since it means that the manufacturer is serious about the services they provide and therefore will try to provide the highest quality and good service to their customers, just to keep being competitive.
In terms of price categories, while browsing for a stone supplier, you will often see one of the following three terms:
Low-end
This category is usually reserved to small suppliers (maybe family businesses) that specialize in residential projects and rarely small commercial ones. Here you can find the most affordable stone and marble products, at the expense of safety and perhaps quality. Suppliers operating in this sector may not provide you with certifications documents.
Middle-end
This is perhaps the most common category customers buy from. Here you can find a balance between affordability and high-quality manufacturing. Specializing in large residential projects and middle-sized residential ones, stone suppliers in this category will often offer wholesale prices. They are often found in commercial areas (markets and malls) and will participate in all sorts of fairs and events in order to gain publicity.
Most private projects can be situated in this range and you can find many stone wholesalers and other types of manufacturers that offer large quantities of products at low prices (i.e. wholesale granite).
High-end
Stone products in this category are of the high-quality and last the longest. They must be durable enough to withstand heavy and prolonged use, such as in the cases of hotel floors or hospital reception area. High-end marble, stone or granite are more expensive than in the previous categories but are mainly used for commercial projects.
Luxurious
A special category made of the most expensive products. The price is in part because of the highest-quality manufacturing and the intricate, usually custom-made, designs and patterns. You can find marble products from this category in 5-star hotels and private homes of celebrities.
3. Minimum Order Quantity Requirement
Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) is the minimum number of units (or individual products) Chinese manufacturers are willing to sell in a single order. More often than not, however, suppliers are willing to offer a lower value for the MOQ under certain conditions like using a standard material or a stock design.
This concept exists so that stone wholesalers can cover their costs, which may include machinery, tools and trained personnel. A small order would still require the same level of mobilization as a large one, so it is not exactly a profitable practice. Manufacturers can go around this, by offering a &#;stock&#; option to multiple clients with small orders, so that the effort they make is worthwhile in end.
Regular clients will have the benefits of a lowered MOQ, because of the already established trust between the parties. Be upfront with your supplier and you may be able to get a good deal.
You should also know that the MOQ is variable from supplier to supplier. Small manufacturers may favor large MOQ so their effort is worth it, while granite wholesalers will have a lower requirement since they have a lot of customers.
4. Stone Quality
Due to the increased presence in the international market and advanced technologies, China has now become the leading export of high-quality stone. All stone suppliers will not hesitate to tell you how their product is the best in the world, however, you should always inspect the order before playing (or hire an agent to do so). Here is how you do that:
Perform a visual check if all the pieces have uniform colors and sizes (as initially specified);
In case of marble, one side should be polished and all four sides should be machine cut. Inspect the polishing and cutting quality (rough surfaces). Cutting quality also applies to stone manufacturing;
Check if any artificial colors are added to the stone and its quality by scratching the surface;
Check for any dull surfaces and patches. They may indicate attempts to fix scratches. Those cannot be used in heavy-traffic areas;
Check for cracks or fissures on all sides. Occasionally, small cracks are located along veins on the surface. Small scratches may be acceptable for low-traffic areas, but large cracks is a clear sign of low-quality material.
5. Pocket-friendly Price
Look for stone wholesalers offering a balance between quality and affordable prices. Beware, however, of the ones that promise too much. Top-quality Chinese designs can not cost $1 per square meter.
You should also keep an eye out for the opposite, those who try to sell their product as the best possible option in the world. Most suppliers will, of course, try to convince you to do business with them, but the quality of the products speaks for it itself. So, established and respected manufacturers won&#;t try to oversell or undersell their stone products, they will be upfront with you and try to help your make a good decision, depending on your situation.
6. Test Report
We highly advise you to look at the test reports the stone supplier provides their products. This is especially important if you want to import to Europe or the US.
A CE marking or certificate indicates that the supplier&#;s products are conform with health, safety and environmental protection standards within the European Economic Area (EEA). It is important to note that the manufacturer is entirely responsible of declaring conformity with all requirements. This declaration must include:
Manufacturer&#;s details (name, address, etc.)
Essential characteristics the products complies to;
Any European standards and performance data;
Identification number of the notified body (if relevant);
Legally binding signature on behalf of the organization;
Different stone products will require different standards to be upheld, for example BS EN is a standard for tiles. Other stone products that require CE marking include floors slabs, masonry, paving and kerbs.
This is a core certificate and selling with the EEA without it is illegal.
REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals and is a regulation adopted by the European Union in order to improve the protection of human health and the environment against harmful chemicals. This regulation requires the companies to prove that they can identify and manage the risks regarding the substances they manufacture and market in the EU. Suppliers need to demonstrate to ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) how their products can be safely used and are obliged to communicate the risk management measures to the clients/users.
Companies will be needed to register the substances used in their manufacturing processes and ECHA will evaluate them and assess the risks involved in the use of the respective products.
According to ECHA, the following is true:
For manufacturers: &#;Manufacturer: If you make chemicals, either to use yourself or to supply to other people (even if it is for export), then you will probably have some important responsibilities under REACH.&#;
For importers: &#;If you buy anything from outside the EU/EEA, you are likely to have some responsibilities under REACH. It may be individual chemicals, mixtures for onwards sale or finished products, like clothes, furniture or plastic goods.&#;
At Granite Setts UK we can provide you with a stunning, high quality collection of granite setts, granite cobbles, granite tiles and granite kerbs that will truly stand the test of time. With granite, you can ensure that there will be no cracking due to subsidence or damage from the elements. Granite will last up to ten times longer than your average block paving.
Granite will create head-turning external paving that will retain its good looks for years and, due to natural variations, add real character. Granite is both affordable and durable, and will create an impressive finish that just cannot be matched if you choose lower grade products.
Granite Setts UK are perfectly positioned to cater for both domestic projects and larger scale commercial projects with all our granite products coming with a Declaration of Performance (CE Mark) to guarantee conformance to BS EN (Setts of natural stone for external paving).
For more information, please visit Cropped and Flamed Setts.