Updated 2024

✳️ Saudi Arabia and China for African mines

Director of International Affairs Imidro said: Saudi Arabia and China with their large investments and relying on their political influence are gaining a significant share of the mining market of the African continent, but this does not mean that there is no opportunity for Iran. Natural world stone News

Fazloh Heidari, Director of International Affairs of Iran’s Mines and Mineral Industries Development and Modernization Organization (IMIDRO) regarding IMIDRO’s plans to develop mining cooperation with other countries, said: Cooperation with neighbors is naturally a priority due to geographical proximity and ease of doing things. contract. The target countries for cooperation in the field of mining are our neighbors such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, and India; However, now our focus is on African countries.

He added: The land route allows us to directly exchange with these countries and participate with them in various fields, including exploration, extraction, and processing of minerals; Also, the transportation of minerals through the ground route significantly reduces costs and increases efficiency and speed.

Heydari stated: In addition to the neighbors, the African continent is also an attractive destination for the development of mining cooperation. The diversity and richness of mineral resources in this continent provide unique opportunities for investment and partnership.

He explained how to cooperate with African countries: In the African continent, we will first go for a water route and then we will cooperate with Madagascar, Tanzania, and South Africa; Our preference is to focus on East Africa because it is closer to us in terms of distance.

Heydari emphasized: We had negotiations with South Africa and we have established a close relationship with Guinea. In addition, we have many years of cooperation with Burkina Faso, South Africa, Madagascar, and Tanzania; We hope that these cooperations will continue in the future and we will witness positive events in this field.

In the end, Imidro’s director of international affairs added: Saudi Arabia and China, with their large investments and relying on their political influence, are gaining a significant share of the mining market of the African continent, but this does not mean that there is no opportunity for Iran. There is an opportunity for our private and public sectors to take steps in the exploration of new areas or technical engineering services in this continent.

The return of building stone glory to the Nickerson home

After the great fire of Chicago in 1871, many houses made of wood were destroyed. When it came time to build new homes, laws were passed to prevent a similar disaster. Refractory materials such as brick, marble, limestone, and clay tiles became the preferred construction materials, and the construction of buildings with wood was prohibited in the central area of ​​the city.

Eight years after the fire, construction began on the Nickerson House in Chicago’s Near North Side. At the time of its completion, the three-story, 24,000-square-foot Italianate mansion was considered the largest and most luxurious private residence in Chicago. The exterior is made of Berea limestone and sandstone from Ohio. The interior of this property, known as the “Marble Mansion”, is very impressive. Sally Ann Felgenhauer, director of collections and exhibitions at the Richard H. Dare House says: At least 17 different types of French, Italian, Belgian, and American marble, as well as agate and marble, were used in the interior stonework. Natural world stone News

Shortly after construction, the light gray sandstone exterior lost its luster due to environmental issues. “Over the years, natural light stonework has turned black due to the accumulation of soot and soot from industrial pollutants,” says Felgenhauer. As the exterior became dark and unsightly, the decorative stone elements began to erode.

When Richard H. Driehaas, a Chicago investment manager known for his interests in historic preservation, bought the house in 2003. The Nickerson House is now part of the Richard H. Drihas became According to a New York Times article, Driehass hired the house from the American College of Surgeons, a professional society he had owned since the 1920s, and soon after M. Kirby Talley Jr., an Amsterdam-based author and historian, to oversee the restoration.

Tully says in the New York Times article: “My order was to take it back to 1883. “To find a situation where we can honestly say that no expense was spared to do things the right way is remarkable.”

In 2003, the same year Driehaus acquired the property, a major renovation of the building began, including the renovation of the exterior.

Italian stone technologies:

Foreign sales remain stable in 2023. Despite a reduction in inventories in the second half of 2023, the year for the Italian stone technology industry ended with an official confirmation of the excellent growth rate of the previous two years.

According to the statistics announced by the Machinery Studies Center last year, the number of foreign sales of machines, installations, equipment, and tools for extracting and processing building stones amounted to 1134.2 million euros (75% of the total income of the sector).

In 2023, the destination of Italian-made stone technologies, the United States will be the first with 176.6 million imports, which is 15.1% less than sales compared to 2022.
Spain came in second with a total purchase of 66.1 million (down 0.4%). Türkiye shows increasing growth (+27.2%, 64.3 million). There was definite growth in exports to Canada (+26.9%, fourth buyer 60 million), while exports to Germany (-7.7%, fifth with 56.5 million) and India (-10%, sixth with 51.6 million) ranked They were placed next.
Confindustria Marmo machine in the statistics provided by the study center

The intensification of the stagnation in exports in the last months of 2023 can be removed until the first half of this year. It can be said that this recession was mainly due to the sharp decline in demand in the United States and heavy investments in recent years

India’s construction stone export status in 2023,

India’s export value of marble, and granite including slabs and blocks compared to 2022 – by 8.6% (with a total value of about 1884 million US dollars) and 7.9% in terms of volume has decreased.

🔹️ It should be noted that the first rank in the total of Indian products that are exported the most abroad is confirmed by processed building stone, which is more than 62.8% of the total export value of Indian building stone (-10.7% compared to 2022 ) and after that, the stone block is in the next rank.

Granite stone accounts for more than 32.7% of India’s total exports. (-5.7 percent compared to the previous year). It is interesting to know that the average price per ton of India’s construction stone exports (US$158.89 per ton) has decreased by 0.8% compared to the previous year.

🔹️Also last year, the average “final” price of each ton of exported building stone was: India (US$158.89 per ton), Portugal (US$ 283.76 per ton), Turkey (US$ 307.04 per ton). , Spain (US$558.1). per ton), Brazil (US$610.37 per ton), China (US$815.56 per ton) and Italy (US$1092.74 per ton).

✳️ Marble traceability in Carrara

🔹️ The new amendments approved by the Carrara City Council regarding marble mining laws make the traceability of marble blocks a reality.

By approving resolutions 50 and 51, the council amended and updated the regulations from July 2, 2020, regarding the traceability of stone blocks and stones processed on-site at least up to 50% of the materials. Mayor Serena Arrighi described the document as “the foundation for the implementation of Regional Law 35,” which is the result of a long and collective effort based on safety, the environment, and the equitable distribution of profits from the marble business. By assigning an exclusive code, franchise owners can connect to the information technology system of the Carrara municipality, which allows the tracking of stone products from the mountain to the weighing station and from the weighing station to the selected processing plant. During this, the software used by entrepreneurs must be compatible with the software used by the municipality.

A notable feature in this regard is the requirement to process 50% of the stones at the mine site. At this stage, in order to confirm compliance from the weighing station to the processing plant, this is inevitable and necessary

 Brazil’s construction stone export statistics are the best result of four months in the last 10 years Brazil’s construction stone market reached a new milestone in 2024:

The best result can be seen in January and April in the last 10 years. Exports in this industry recorded a 15.7% growth in four months worth 387.9 million dollars in business transactions and were published. Natural World Stone News

This statistic was provided by the Center of Brazilian Construction Stone Exporters. The main destinations of this export were America with a share of 58.06%, China with 14.10%, Italy with 6.75%, Mexico with 5.06%, and England with 1.68%.

Brazil’s construction stone export statistics are the best result of a four-month period in the last 10 years

Brazil’s construction stone market reached a new milestone in 2024:

The best result can be seen in the months of January and April in the last 10 years. Exports in this industry recorded a 15.7% growth in four months worth 387.9 million dollars in business transactions and were published.

This statistic was provided by the Center of Brazilian Construction Stone Exporters. The main destinations of this export were America with a share of 58.06%, China with 14.10%, Italy with 6.75%,

Mexico with 5.06% and England with 1.68%.

Egypt intends to increase the export of marble and granite by focusing on the development of the industrial city of Shaq al-Thaban

🔹️ Ahmed Samir, Minister of Trade and Industry of Egypt held a meeting with Seyed Abaza, Vice-Chairman of the Chamber of Construction Materials Industries, and Yaser Rashid, Head of the Mines and Mines Department, in a strategic move to develop the Shaq Al-Thaban region. The focus of this meeting was on executive actions and policies to strengthen growth in the region. Natural World Stone News

🔹️ In this meeting, the talks focused on the implementation of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s orders to increase the export of marble and granite to one billion dollars.

🔹️ This comprehensive strategy is to increase the export of marble and granite through the holding of meetings and extensive training workshops for the beneficiaries. These meetings are aimed at gaining a deep understanding of the needs, obstacles, and prospects of this sector. Ahmed Samir emphasized the ministry’s commitment to support this strategy, which seeks to double Egypt’s export share from 2.1 percent in 2023 to 4.4 percent within four years. This strategy includes the transfer of workers from the informal sector to the formal sector.

The main pillars of this strategy include improving the scientific and practical level of exploration for various building stones, increasing the efficiency of factories and mines, reducing production and export costs, targeting high-value export markets, promoting Egypt’s brand internationally, and starting Waste recycling is for mines and factories.

🔹️ Samir emphasized the commitment of the government to turn Shaq al-Thaban into a specialized industrial city and extensive support for factory owners. This development is considered a fundamental step in promoting Egypt’s marble and granite industry as a global exporter.

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