The General Director of Industry and Innovation, Julia Climent, emphasizes the “efforts being made by the natural stone sector in the Region of Valencia to generate innovative solutions and create new business opportunities.”

Climent went on to say “The regional government is working with the sector to enhance innovation in the industry and promote internationalization through aids for business R&D&I projects, specialized training plans and activities regarding diffusion and international growth.”

The General Director of Industry and Innovation inaugurated the 2010 Global Stone Congress forum, this morning – “an event which brings together more than 300 experts and is looked on as a shake up for the natural stone sector, which will undoubtedly contribute to strengthening the strategic importance of the sector, boost industrial development and find solutions and practical alternatives for company activities”.

In this respect, it is worth remembering that in the Region of Valencia, the marble sector has grown to become one of the main references of the productive network in the province of Alicante.

“The government of Valencia supports the sector through initiatives such as competitiveness plans or the “Innovation Cheque”, Julia Climent stated, and also highlighted “the innovative character of the sector, which has the backing of the Construction Technology Institute, AIDICO, along with the creation of the Marble Technology Centre, in Novelda”.

International Congress

The Global Stone Congress brings together experts who are going to take advantage of the forum to put forward and to exchange opinions about new strategies the sector needs to adopt in order to cope successfully with the credit crisis. In this respect, during the conference, the speakers will particularly emphasise the need to apply new architectonic solutions, as well as new services and aid in using stone in buildings. Similarly, they will encourage the development of new extraction and processing technologies.
In this gathering, the main technology centres specialising in natural stone were present, like Aidico, Intromac from Extremadura, the Carrara Marble Association, from Italy, or the Brazilian Ornamental Rock Association.

The aim of the organisations promoting this gathering is that all parties involved take stock of the fact that the marble sector can only continue to compete if it benefits from and develops its technological advantages. This requires a reorganization and transformation that will lead to a more competitive and sustainable business structure.