Leader Programme funds new saw for stoneCIRCLE

processes & methods
Written By Marco Fazio

stoneCIRCLE applied for funding for a new GMM Litox saw for its Basingstoke factory via the Leader Programme, partly funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Leader Programme funds

The new machine replaced a 22-year-old manual saw with a new larger CNC-driven saw. This takes a larger blade than any existing saws in the stoneCIRCLE factory and is fully 5-axis CNC driven.

The main motivation behind the purchase was to produce complex 3D stone pieces more accurately and faster. The 1000mm diameter blade means that the company will be able to cut blocks up to 400mm thick, which are often specified for building parts, artworks and solid stone cantilevered stairs.

GMM Litox saw

GMM Litox saw installed in our Basingtoke factory

Being CNC driven, the saw can be programmed to carry out the sawing without any operator input, which releases the mason to carry out the highly skilled finishing of the items as they come off the saws. It will also reduce the amount of grinding and rubbing the masons do by hand, reducing the amount of dust created and significantly reducing their exposure to Hand Arm Vibration from the hand tools.

 

Watch the GMM Litox installation time-lapse…

 

Basingstoke-based stoneCIRCLE has been in business since 1968 and has grown into one of the largest stone fabricators in England, employing over 50 people. The company fabricates and installs stone for domestic and commercial projects, including prestigious hotels and retail stores such as Harrods, where it is involved in the ongoing refurbishment project.

Marco Fazio

Marco Joe Fazio is CCO and director of photography at space+style™ by marco joe fazio Ltd, working in fashion, hospitality, food & drink, architecture and design.

Born and raised in Tuscany, Italy, Marco learned the rudiments of photography and the magic of the darkroom in his early school years. Thereafter, he worked in architecture, interior, and lighting design for two decades. During those years, Marco founded an award-winning architectural studio and managed a multidisciplinary design team, working mainly for fashion industry clients.

Since moving to London in 2008, Marco has been recognised as a Chartered Architect of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) while pursuing his dream of connecting the worlds of architecture, design, and fashion from the photographer's perspective.

After years of passionate dedication, hard work and professional achievements, he was awarded the Fellowship certification (FBIPP) by the British Institute of Professional Photography and won the Peter Grugeon Award for the Best Fellowship of the Year in 2016. Subsequently, he has been admitted as a member of the highly regarded Association of Photographers (AOP). 

Having achieved a stronghold in coordinated image and photography for the design and fashion world, Marco has taken his expertise into the hospitality market; luxury and boutique hotels, fine dining restaurants, and the drinks and beverage industry are all reaping benefits from his services.

Today, Marco is leading his agency in assignments in the hospitality, fashion, and design industries.

Creative photography, cinematography, coordinated images and brand marketing form the core of his services.

Thanks to more than a decade in the music industry, Marco has expendable knowledge in composition and sound engineering. That knowledge is a valuable asset in creating licensed soundtracks and magnetic sound designs for commercial productions.

Marco's passion and another branch of his business are mentoring and nurturing new visual arts talents. In 2016, he launched "telling [fashion] stories" – photography & set design workshops – and more recently, he has become a lecturer for the School of Art and Creative Industries at London South Bank University (LSBU).

The crossover between genres and industries is a peculiar and essential factor in his work, contributing to thinking outside the box and achieving a unique style rich in symbolism and content.

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