Sustainability, customer focus and flexibility. We call it Scandinavian Quality.
For us, quality is not only about grading our stone blocks and taking responsibility for any anomalies. It’s just as much about how we extract our stone, health and safety at our quarries, and the service and flexibility our customers are entitled to expect. How you want your product we are here to help you in terms of format, transport and logistics.
The working environment is important
For us, the working environment is a strategic issue. Our employees in the quarries possess unique expertise built up over many years, so we take their health and well-being extremely seriously. They are our most important asset, and we place tremendous value on them. Without them we would have no stone.
We conduct systematic health and safety work, and remain constantly updated on the latest rules and regulations regarding the working environment. But we don’t only comply – we aim to exceed them and be on the leading edge.
By working preventively with health, safety and work tools, both short and long-term sick leave at Scandinavian Stone are currently below average.
Vibration-free work tools
One occupational injury that can occur among stonemasons is vibration white finger or hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), a problem that arises from vibrating machines. Most of the vibration has been eliminated with new technology and a minimum of hand-held tools. Most tools are mounted in a stand and controlled using a joystick. But there are some jobs where vibrations cannot be removed. Working with Vinnova within the framework of the Zero Vibration Injuries project, we have therefore been involved in developing vibration-free hand-held machines that do not cause injuries. The result is a global patent which we own with Vinnova and another company.
Unique stone calls for sustainable processing
Most quarries in Sweden are sites of national interest, and many are globally unique. In many countries the rock crumbles, but Swedish bedrock is hard and strong. It is of very high quality and can be classed as state of the art. The fact is that our gneiss stone from the quarry in Bårarp is classed as a Global Heritage Stone.
In association with the Geological Survey of Sweden, we have formulated a best practice policy for quarrying natural stone which also includes quarrying of aggregates and mineral. A report on quarrying stone from bedrock is due to be published in the near future.
Imported natural stone of guaranteed quality
With 13 quarries in Sweden and Norway, we have good access to the stone you need. However, we also import natural stone as a service to our customers, assuring you a complete, single-source delivery for your projects. Needless to say, our imported products are also covered by Scandinavian Quality. This means you can rest assured that the imported stone is of high quality and comes from quarries with a good working environment, where all the necessary permits and licences are in place, and every consideration has been paid to respectful business relations and ethics, sustainability and environmental impact.
Service and delivery beyond the ordinary
Scandinavian Quality also means that we are always focused on our customers and offer a high level of service. For instance, you are always welcome to visit our stone quarries to inspect the materials and discuss your preferences on site. With our expertise and classification system, we can work together to select the most economical stone blocks for your requirements.
We are always happy to offer advice and recommendations on further processing of our materials. In certain cases, we can also refer you on to an external processing company.
As well as stone from our own quarries we also offer trading, i.e. the possibility to buy other materials from selected quarries around the world.
Once the stone has been quarried, we offer short lead times and fast deliveries. You can either arrange transport yourself or we are happy to help. We have a well-developed network of logistics partners, which means we can offer competitive transport prices around the world. We have chosen our partners partly for their high degree of delivery reliability and traceability. Needless to say, we can also take care of all the export documentation if required.
