ous veining and bookmatching can also be achieved here. It takes two hours from start to finish to produce a porcelain slab, and the end product is 25-30% harder than granite, when measured on the Mohs scale. Full size panels including StonePeak’s Plane 2.0 line, are shipped on A-frames, 25 to a side. The line has been opera- tional since May. Dignitaries praising the invest- ment in the Crossville, Tenn., local economy included Angela Regitko, business development consultant for the State ofTennessee, Crossville Mayor James Mayberry, and newly elected County Mayor Alan Foster. Foster noted that StonePeak has made a $200 million investment in machinery and its facility since it opened in 2005, and has provided jobs for 400 workers in Crossville. Distributors weigh in on GPTP U.S. production “StonePeak is taking a step ahead of their com- petitors by being the first to produce the large panels in the U.S.,” said Bill Spina, president of Standard Tile Supply Co., Totowa, N.J. “I feel it is a natural to be used as coun- ter tops. In our area, it is becoming more accepted for commercial projects and it should substantially help in residential appli- cations now that they can cut to smaller sizes.” Tom Cosky, Nautilus & Aquatica Program manager for IWT, called StonePeak’s new domestic product with the Continua TECH TALK –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– At the post-tour party on the rooftop bar of the Thompson Nashville are (l to r) StonePeak Ceramic’s Todd Ware, exec vp of national accounts;Leonardo Pesce, vp of operations; and Iris’s Marco Portiglia, sales & marketing director. 86 TileLetter | October 2018