TAB Surfaces - Natural Stone and QUARTZ

Minneapolis,  MN 
United States
http://www.tabsurfaces.com

• Booth: N3145

Welcome to TAB Surfaces

TAB Surfaces is a one of the largest and most recognizable brands in the surfaces industry worldwide.  Known for its High Gloss Luster TechnologyTM Surfaces; TAB is a quarrier and a very high capacity manufacturer.  Now celebrating 25 plus years since inception and is recognized worldwide  as the highest quality producer with the best polish in natural stone and engineered stone surfaces.  Every category of natural stone from every continent is processed in tiles, slabs, cut to size, pavers, mosaics and dimension stones.  In Engineered Stone TABQUARTZ offers High Density Slabs with its proprietary Luster Technoligy Gloss.  Proprietary options, exotic colours from around the world, unlimited sizes and superior finishes have established TAB as an industry leader for both interior and exterior applications. Also recognized for its pro-natural stone campaigns, commitment to sustainability & the environment and an exceptional employer. TAB’s oath to its worldwide customers is to ensure maximum value with remarkable quality, prompt shipments and deep inventories.

TAB has created High-Density quartz with an exceptionally high gloss, developed internally over the years and refered to as Luster Technology. The high ratio of quartz versus resin makes the slabs denser and heavier than other brands, achieving impenetrability even in other finishes. Additionally, TABQUARTZ is processed with UV-resistant resin to keep it safe from ultraviolet breakdown and color change.  The demand for quartz slabs has increased over the recent years and the addition of quartz production to the TAB manufacturing campus in South India has been a welcome jolt of business, energy, and interest. As the only supplier that has combined both world-class natural stone and quartz under one production roof, the future looks bright for TAB’s advancement towards a pre-eminent global stone supplier status. Remaining a global powerhouse in natural stone, TAB Surfaces expands its operation to offer a “New Age®” quartz with the same highest level of quality and service that its natural stone customers worldwide have come to expect and value.

Brands: TAB Natural Stone TAB Quartz

 Videos

 Press Releases

• Stone Specialist Magazine (UK) - "Natural Stone Dreamers" (20220331)
  https://tabquartz.com/wp-content/uploads/dae-uploads/An-Article-on-TAB-in-UK-Magazine-Stone-Specialist-Sept-2019.pdf 
  
  Natural stone dreamers
  
  Not just a natural stone supplier but a natural stone dreamer. That’s how TAB describes itself. Now it is also an engineered quartz dreamer.
  
  India is the largest single source of dimensional stone used in the UK and TAB is one of the companies that has contributed to it achieving that status. Last year, the sub-continent shipped £160million worth of stone to the UK – about 700,000 tonnes of stone*. That is nearly a third of all the dimensional stone that arrives in the UK. And for the past 20 years TAB has been contributing to that total, with the stone being distributed through wholesalers – International Stones in Sheffield is its leading UK distributor. TAB has its headquarters in Jaipur. It operates six of its own granite quarries in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, as well as importing blocks of granite, marble, slate, quartzite, sandstone and limestone from all over the world (Brazil, Australia, Norway, Finland, Angola, South Africa, Italy... and more). It has two extensive processing factories in India and offices in Brazil and the USA. Altogether it employs more than 1,000 people. The smaller of its factories is the North Plant, for slate, sandstone, limestone, marble, quartzite, mosaics and cut-to-size work. A lot of the cut-to-size has been used on major projects in America. The largest factory is the 35-acre campus of the South Plant, where granite, marble and quartzite is sawn and polished as slabs and tiles. Last year TAB also opened its own engineered quartz factory on this site. And with quartz worktops being the fastest growing of the stone processing sectors in the UK, this is a market TAB is keen to develop. TAB’s impressive line up of stone processing machinery includes eight massive gangsaws from Breton and Gaspari Menotti that can cut down to 10mm thickness. There are also two multiwire saws, one from Breton and one from Gaspari, each carrying 72 wires. There are four latest generation LeviBreton KG 4600 precision polishing lines, a slab calibration line from Simec, a fully automatic Breton resining line with two ovens for fast production, eight mono-wire saws for squaring / trimming the blocks and a host of other machines and handling equipment such as block loaders and slab tilters. For shipping purposes, products from the North and South factories are easily combined, just as containers can be filled with a mixture of granite slabs, granite tiles and TAB Quartz. “TAB Quartz started commercial production in January 2018 after running a series of trials and tests on various colours, patterns, polish techniques and finishes,” says Amit Gupta, who founded TAB with his brother Sumit in 1997. Natural stone dreamers Not just a natural stone supplier but a natural stone dreamer. That’s how TAB describes itself. Now it is also an engineered quartz dreamer.
  
  Sumit adds: “TAB has consistently and continuously adapted to the market dynamics. Getting into quartz production was an organic step forward, expanding our existing footprint in the natural stone and surfaces industry.” The decision to open the quartz plant was a response to demand for quartz from TAB’s distributors worldwide. Amit: “The addition of quartz to the product range makes TAB a one-stop shop for natural stone and quartz from the same campus in South India.” Being able to offer that mixture all produced in-house so quality is assured is a major advantage TAB offers its customers. TAB is also proud of its environmental and ethical credentials. It has not signed up to the UK’s Ethical Stone Register but nevertheless says it has always pushed forward improvement in working conditions for the people it employs, even against resistance from fellow stone companies in India. For example, it provides meals for its employees, whereas most companies expect their employees to bring their own lunches. It was not a move other producers liked because they did not want to have to start providing meals for their employees. Amit told NSS: “We already are ahead of the curve and a trendsetter in all these things. We are nature lovers, fair, logical, rational and very much put earth and employees much before profits. “We are from the new generation and we wanted to create new rules, from food to health, to benefits, to wages. I’m very proud to say that more than 90% of the people who started with this company more than 20 years ago are still here. It gives us immense joy to say we’re taking care of the people that take care of TAB.” TAB has the latest machinery and believes in getting the best performance from it by providing employees with high quality working conditions and proper personal protective equipment (PPE). It has solar-power generation, rainwater harvesting and 100% water recycling. The company says 80% of the energy it uses currently comes from renewable sources and it is aiming for 100%. Even the bottles of water it supplies for its employees are glass rather than plastic. “We are bringing nature into your home responsibly,” says Amit on a video made last year that you can watch on tabindia.com . In the 15,000m 2 quartz factory that has another 5,000m 2 building supporting ancillary functions, the company has the capacity to produce 250 slabs of quartz a day (about 125 container loads a month). A second line is already being planned to double that. Slab dimensions are 3260mm x 1620mm in 15mm, 20mm and 30mm thicknesses. TAB says it is producing a ‘new age’ quartz. Sumit explains: “It’s a new age quartz manufacturing plant that has been re-designed and re-engineered by a highly skilled team of mechanical designers of TAB to produce state of the art, high vibro-vacuum compaction. Beyond that is a first of its kind, fully automatic, in-line calibration and polishing plant designed and manufactured with the help of Simec Spa of Italy. “The plant starts at the loading of the raw moulded slabs and finishes after calibration on both sides, bevelling on all four sides and providing the Luster Technology gloss polish. Finally there is the printing of the edges and the back and the application of a technologically advanced electrostatic Nylon film on the slabs. Most quartz has a glued Nylon film, which takes for ever to remove and makes the slabs look stained in the process. “At TAB Quartz, innovation has always been the buzzword. We have re-engineered the production process using exceptionally high quality quartz and minimum quantities of specialty resins for low VOC [volatile organic compound] quartz. “The unique combination of inputs gives the surface a new construction definition.” Two years before TAB Quartz was launched, the company had established a laboratory to experiment with production methods and colours. It launched with 24 colours to keep it simple for customers. Since then another 12 colours have been added, including the particularly on-trend industrial ‘Concrete’ collection. There are different price points for different collections to appeal to all pockets. TAB has experimented with more than 300 quartz colours and patterns and more designs will be added as trends and the market require. “We do not want to come in and disrupt the market immediately, but the lab and the lab technicians are primed and ready to keep coming up with newer and better looks,” says Amit. TAB is currently shipping about 2,400 containers of stone and quartz each year, with less than 10% of it currently coming to the UK. But with quartz still taking an increasing share of the worktop market in Britain TAB believes the UK represents a significant opportunity for it. Then, of course, there is the rapidly growing market for porcelains and sintered stones – and there is a hint TAB is considering going into production of its own versions of these, too.
  
  *Figures from HMRC. 

• Stone World Magazine (US) - "Responding to Market Demand" (20220331)

  https://tabquartz.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/058-061-TabIndia.pdf 

  
  Responding to market demand

  
  Remaining a global producer of natural stone, Tab India expands its operation to offer a “New Age” quartz with the same high level of quality and service as its natural stone products to its customers
  
  As a proponent of natural stone and sustainability, Tab India still found it necessary to recognize the growing trend of quartz surfacing. Brothers Amit and Sumit Gupta established the stone operation in 1997, and experienced quick success. Today, the company has grown to own more than 12 stone quarries – in numerous varieties – and branded its name in the stone industry worldwide. But as the industry and market trends continue to evolve over time, Tab India made the decision to grow with it by opening a new factory for TabQuartz in the beginning of 2018. “TabQuartz started commercial production in January 2018 after running a series of trials and tests on various colors, patterns, polish techniques and finishes,” explained Amit Gupta. “Tab has consistently and continuously adapted to the market dynamics. Getting into quartz production was an organic step forward, expanding our existing footprint in the natural stone and surfaces industry.” According to Gupta, the ultimate decision to open the quartz plant came from the pressure and demands of Tab’s distributors worldwide to supply quartz slabs and cut-to-size in quartz, of the same quality levels as its natural stone offering. “We re-engineered the whole process of quartz production to ensure that the final product could stand the test of Tab’s polish/finish quality precision which we are known for in the stone industry,” he said. “The addition of quartz to the product range also makes Tab a unique one-stop shop for natural stone and quartz. We give the option to our customers to be able to mix their granite and quartz orders, if need be, as the granite and quartz plants are located on the same campus in South India. It also helps that India houses some of the best quality reserves of natural quartz material in very high deposits, which is in line with our policy of sourcing only the best raw materials.” 
  
  DEVELOPING A “NEW AGE” QUARTZ
  
  Tab has designed and developed a technology which has resulted in the evolution of normal quartz slabs to a “New Age” quartz, Gupta explained. “Tab re-engineered the production process using very high-quality quartz and specialty resins suitable only for production of low VOC quartz -- ensuring very low-resin inside the slabs, pressed on a highly efficient and strong vibro-vacuum press,” he said. “The unique combination of inputs gives the surface a new construction definition. All the colors remain in the development, testing and prototype stage until they are proven fit for commercial production. The surface finish and the density thus achieved makes TabQuartz a New Age quartz.” The company built a state-of-the-art laboratory two years before the commencement of the commercial production. “This was done with the plan to ensure that there would be a vast range of colors ready to go into production as soon as the machines were installed,” said Gupta. “Tab developed more than 300 colors and patterns successfully because of this early investment into the lab and is now releasing new designs and patterns regularly. The first offering that we came out with in the market was for 24 colors to keep the introduction simple for our customers, which was increased to 36 in three months, after adding 12 more colors; the same will keep getting added with the new trends as the market demands and allows. We do not want to come in and disrupt the market immediately, but the lab and the lab technicians are primed and ready to keep coming up with newer and better looks. Backed by the fully automatic molding and polishing process machines, making new colors has been made easier.” TabQuartz is part of the 35-acre campus, which also houses the natural stone slab, tile and cut-to-size facilities in a green campus, built with solar-power generation, rainwater harvesting, 100% water recycling and many other carbon footprint reducing efforts. The quartz production facility has a covered constructed area of 150,000 square feet and another 50,000 square feet of supporting and ancillary functions. “The line is capable of producing up to 250 slabs per day in thicknesses of 15/20/30 mm,” said Gupta. “We are currently producing 200 slabs a day, equivalent to about 100 standard containers capacity per month. With the addition of the second production line soon, this capacity will double. The existing infrastructure/facility has been built keeping this in mind for expansion.” Tab India’s primary markets remain the same as its natural stone markets, which are North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Asia Pacific. “The guiding philosophy for Tab has always been to produce goods and provide services of the highest standard, and we have done the same for all of the products and services that we offer, including TabQuartz,” said Gupta. “We have established a brand and value for our company and its products in the market, a legacy that we have to carry forward with offering quartz of the highest possible quality and value than has been done so far.”

• Stone World Magazine (US) - "Dedication to People and the Environment" (20220331)
  https://tabquartz.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/000-TabIndia.pdf
  
  
  Dedication to People and the Environment
  
  TAB India continuously looks to be an industry leader in stone, its employees and the environment
  
  Since the beginning, TAB India’s goal isn’t to be the second best or the third best, it is to be the best in everything they do. TAB India does everything it can to create the best materials, create the best working environment and be the best in renewable energy. “We make natural stone, and we are now making quartz,” said Amit Gupta, CEO of TAB India. “So we are moving from just being a natural stone producer to an all-around various surfaces producer. Breaking the company’s strict adherence to natural stone, to now quartz and in the future perhaps porcelains and other surfaces. We decided to change the name to TAB Surfaces, from just TAB Natural Stone.” According to Amit, the soul of TAB India is to create without destroying, but also to give something back to the planet. 
  
  With this in mind, TAB India has consolidated its two campuses into one. “One campus means consolidation, controlled overheads and head count, same systems, general ease of not having to run from campus to campus to run companies,” said Amit. “We now are in 35 acres of area. It’s a one-stop shop for clients who visit. They can get everything done in one visit — from natural stone to quartz. Shared staff helps in keeping costs under control. One campus means better access to everything instantly. We have developed a campus full of trees, lush greenery, water harvesting, rainwater harvesting and storage, solar to come soon and other ideas we feel passionate about. It’s almost a self-sustained city on its own. We have gangsaws and polishing lines and quartz plants, gantries, bicycles to move around, kitchen gardens, mango and papaya trees and so on.” In addition, the new single campus has more space for growth in the future. Each plant is a five-minute bike ride away. It makes it very easy and convenient for a customer to visit and tour the facility and make all their business decisions.
  
  HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT
  
  Roughly 80% of the energy that TAB India uses is fully renewable energy and the company is making strides to 100% renewable energy. “We started with investments in wind power, but we are evaluating solar power now which has a renewed push now in India with renewed technologies,” explained Sumit Gupta, managing director at TAB. “We understand what is happening to the world today with rising global temperatures, unprecedented melting in the artic and melting glaciers, water shortages and an unsustainable global population. We strongly believe that our way of life is no longer sustainable and planet earth is in danger. We have every intention to do everything in our power to reduce the carbon footprint of our activities. This is a discussion in TAB daily. It’s a concern. We are trying to come up with better and better methods to be a company that eventually becomes carbon neutral, as well as a company that is very conscious of its activity. 

• Stone World Magazine (US) - "Diversifying to Fulfill Customer Needs" (20220331)
  https://tabquartz.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Stoneworld.pdf
  
   

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