Known to architects and designers as the creators of surface materials such as Silestone, Dekton and Sensa, a peek inside the engines that drive an impressive manufacturing operation such as Cosentino, headquartered in Almeria, Spain, brings to mind Willy Wonka-type allusions.
With a total surface area of over two million square metres, the Cosentino Group Industrial Park is the production, administrative and logistical heart from where the group controls and monitors its worldwide distribution system.
In addition to the group’s head office, all the major production facilities are located in this park: the three Silestone plants; a raw materials factory; a special finishes and materials modern factory; and a plant devoted to the creation of millions of physical samples. Moreover, this Almeria industrial park is home to the two Dekton by Cosentino production lines and a one-of-a-kind, intelligent and fully automated Logistics Center.
The Dekton by Cosentino factory opened in early 2013 and is equipped with advanced technology for the manufacture of their ultra-compact surfaces, the initial development of which took more than 22,000 hours of research. The Dekton production facility covers 70,000 square metres, and in late 2017, as part of the company’s 2016-2019 Investment Plan, Cosentino opened a second Dekton production line which has increased the production capacity to 2,000 slabs per day. The technologically advanced Logistics Center includes an automated warehouse that can stock up to 300,000 Silestone and Dekton slabs. It also has the capacity of preparing in A-frames for maritime or land transport around 7,000 slabs every nine hours.
The Cosentino Group currently distributes its products and brands in more than 110 countries from its headquarters in Almeria. Currently, Cosentino is present in 40 countries, with its own assets in 29 of them. The international expansion policy of the group has been based mainly on the establishment of Cosentino Centers, Cosentino Cities and commercial subsidiaries with their own assets. The company currently counts more than 130 commercial and business units throughout the world, divided among 120 Cosentino Centers; 11 Cosentino Cities (of which there is three in Canada, including one in Toronto’s Castlefield Design District, as well as ones in Vancouver and Montréal); five logistic operators; and three logistic Hubs.
Cosentino Group has its origins in the quarrying, processing and sale of marble from the Sierra de los Filabres Mountains in the province of Almeria, Spain, among which the highly-desirable “White Macael” variety of marble is harvested. While a small component of its overall business, slabs of this pure white stone with the occasional bluish seam are still mined, processed and distributed by Cosentino.
Since 1979, the company’s process of expansion and research has led it to apply the latest technology to produce innovative materials and high-value solutions for the world of architecture and design.
