Advances in technology can be found in all industries. Even in our everyday life processes have changed dramatically over the years. There are now self-checkouts at grocery and retail stores, face recognitions to release security locks on phones and computers, and Apple wallet to pay for purchases.

In the stone and fabrication sector, we are also seeing an explosion of innovation. Manufacturers are continually making improvements to their products to offer better efficiency. Slab sizes are getting larger — pushing machinery and tooling developers to come up with products that can assist fabricators in production and installation.

We are also seeing more software programs available to assist with all aspects of a fabrication business – from management and scheduling to organizing inventory to visualizing designs for customers. In this edition of Stone World, we feature two newcomers to the industry that are catching people’s attention and rapidly gaining in popularity.

FreePower offers a wireless charging station that can be built into countertops. The company is offering training to fabricators. Jason Kamery sat down with Jake Slatnick of FreePower to learn more about the product. Listen to the podcast here.

We also attended the Stone Fabricator’s Alliance’s (SFA) event at Cutting Edge Countertops in Michigan a few months ago where Slab Caddy’s creator, Jack Martin, demonstrated the product. You can watch the video to learn more about this transportation system here.

These are only two of many innovative products available in our industry. As summer comes to a close, the Stone World staff will be back on the road. We look forward to seeing what other new products are out there, and share them with all of you.