Leaders in the industry: Excellence in quality and service
Innovation: A transverse axis of our essence
In 2020, Cosentino’s great innovation story has once again reached a milestone. An example of this is the launch of the new Silestone® collection with HybriQ® technology, a new generation of increasingly sustainable products where process and product come together through multidisciplinary research to create products of great beauty and a design focused at the same time on a global and sustainable scope of the product. Our customers, who are increasingly looking for aesthetics, use, performance, origin, as well as the way we produce, transport, recycle or reuse, are guiding our innovation strategy towards a more global, integrated and environmentally friendly vision.
Innovation is one of the key components of our DNA. The challenge of innovation strategy is to develop products that reflect the preferences of markets and consumers around the world, anticipating their needs and expectations. The continual improvement in the features of these products and their applications while maintaining an efficient, sustainable production and distribution system are the key areas of our work in this context.
These are the figures on innovation-related investment over the years at Cosentino:
In total, 23 models and a family of patents have been registered, which our industrial property team has selected to continue protecting our knowledge of an increasingly demanding and competitive sector.
Needless to say, we have achieved this not only with our great team, but also with our network of partners, who have signed 23 firm contracts in 2020. This shows a more open and multidisciplinary innovation, not only with our own suppliers of raw materials or technology.
2020 has also been a year in which we have seen an increase in the collaborative involvement of universities in our challenges. During this year, we have signed 11 open partnership agreements with universities and technology centres. This has led us to an integration into their lines of collaboration and educational programmes, which has been key to continue growing through new research, as well as the possibility of training of new professionals specialised in our materials and their technologies.
In addition, the commitment to innovation aims to achieve a new generation of highly sustainable composites for three key applications: surfaces for architecture and design, construction and aeronautics. In this line, we conduct the EOCENE project, a pioneering project in the investigation of the circular economy for the thermoset composites industry. Its purpose is to develop a new generation of more sustainable composites for the formulation and manufacture of materials used in housing, construction and aeronautics. The project has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, being one of the initiatives selected within the ‘Missions Programme’ coordinated by the Spanish Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), with the support of the Technological Corporation of Andalusia (CTA). The project promotes:
1) The procurement of all the components of a composite material (resin and mineral fillers and/or reinforcing fibres) from renewable sources.
2) The development of sustainable technologies for controlled end-of-life waste recovery processes, consisting of using the waste as a recycled raw material and harnessing CO2 from thermal processes.
Industrial digitalisation
We firmly believe that industrial digitalisation is crucial to achieve a more competitive and efficient production model. It is the path that will make the difference in the medium and long term to produce with less waste, more product customisation and in a more sustainable way.
We want to equip people with powerful tools and everything they need to make the right decisions as quickly as possible. We need to guide operators, engineers and plant managers in this decision making with artificial intelligence-based tools, focused on helping and being useful from the design stage.
At Cosentino, we have been committed to this strategy for years with tools based on SAP and MII. In 2020 we have taken a further step towards the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) with the project based on Microsoft Azure IoT. Thanks to this initiative, data generated by a company’s machine can be sent, stored and processed in the cloud, with unlimited capacity and full accessibility in times of pandemic.
Since the end of 2020, at Cosentino we are sending and recording more than 40,000 variables from over 500 machines. The recording frequency of these variables ranges from 500 milliseconds to 60 seconds, allowing any technician to see exactly what has happened at any point in the production process.
The raw data collected is used to build high-level reports. The data is processed to produce indicators such as dust and gas emissions, which help to quickly understand what is happening on the various production lines. Cosentino thus complies with national and regional emissions regulations and automatically monitors and records them.
During 2021, we will start conducting proof of concept by applying artificial intelligence to the production process. We will try to identify quality failures on different machines to inform operators. The automatic quality failure detection will enable us to make progress on the difficult path of knowing why these failures arise, with the intention of preventing them in the near future.
Robotisation and Industrial Automation
At Cosentino, we strive for robotisation and automation of all processes involved in the production and manufacturing of our products in order to increase our economic competitiveness, mitigate the effects of our operations on the environment and increase employee safety.
More than a purely productive factor, the installation of robots and automated machines has an impact on many other factors, such as:
→ Improving safety at work.
→ Improving ergonomics and quality of the workspace of the person involved.
→ Making processes more flexible.
→ Improving data flow and analysis, allowing for a more complete and detailed view to optimise processes.
→ Giving the company a competitive advantage by having unique processes in a timely manner.
For this reason, over the last three years we have installed 82 robotic cells, all of them dedicated to different processes, such as:
→ Production of unique patterns in stone and ceramics.
→ Stone cutting.
→ Stone polishing.
→ Stone machining.
→ Palletising and depalletising.
It is worth highlighting the Innovation and Development aspect of these robotisation projects, as 90% of the workflow is carried out internally – from the needs of the factories and the product to the design (mechatronic) and planning of the robotic cell and, finally, its execution and commissioning (mechanical, electrical and programming).
To meet all these requirements, Cosentino has a team of 6 Industrial Engineers, specialised and focused on the development and maintenance of all these industrial robotisation needs.
Technologies like Artificial Vision, CAD/CAM, Machine Learning and Digital Twin are tools that we use in our daily work and in which we continuously train ourselves to offer the best possible service.
Integrated Management System
Cosentino has a management system based on a set of interconnected and transversal rules and principles which contribute to the internal management of our processes.
This system ensures that we act in accordance with the different regulations applicable to Cosentino’s industrial activity, the ultimate goal of which is to optimise available resources, improve organisation, reduce costs and improve the Company’s performance.
The efficiency of our management system is verified by several certification bodies, such as DNV GL – Business Assurance, for ISO 9001 and 14001 standards, the Spanish Association for Purchasing, Recruitment and Supply Professionals (AERCE), for ISO 20400, and Bureau Veritas, for UNE EN 15896:2015.
These entities thereby endorse Cosentino’s commitment to quality and environmental management, as well as to sustainable and efficient management, creating added value for its direct value chain and for society in general.
In the same way, these certifications ratify good practices and excellence in the activities in this area as well as our other areas of influence: commercial, financial, operations, human resources, work environment, etc.
With a view to being certified in 2021 in ISO 45001, Occupational Health and Safety Management System, Cosentino’s Management has reviewed the commitments of Quality, Health and Safety, Environment and Energy, launching a new integrated policy. These commitments are in line with the Company’s sustainable development strategy (Agenda 2030 commitments). This policy strengthens Cosentino’s commitment to protecting the health and safety of its employees and the environment. It also promotes the following principles:
- To meet the needs and expectations of our stakeholders.
- To comply with applicable law.
- To be a reference for our stakeholders.
- To enhance the knowledge, competence and digitalisation of our processes.
- To take into account the health and safety, environmental and energy variables in the planning of our activity.
- To achieve the objectives set. The promotion of employee and stakeholder well-being is a key objective.
- Efficient and effective integration of health and safety, quality, environmental and energy criteria throughout the organisation’s structure.
- To engage the entire value chain in our firm commitment to quality, health and safety, environment and energy.
2020
Renovamos
→ ISO 9001:2015: Sistema de Gestión de la Calidad.
→ ISO 14001:2015: Sistema de Gestión Ambiental.
→ ISO 20400:2017 Sistema de Gestión de Compras Sostenibles.
→ UNE 15896 2015: Norma Europea de Compras.
2021
Previstas
→ ISO 50001:2011 de Gestión energética.
→ ISO 45001: 2018, Sistema de Gestión de Seguridad y Salud Laboral.
Product certification
We hold more than 20 product certificates, verified self-declarations and published voluntary tests of our products, including:
- 12 certificates, which are audited on an annual or biannual basis together with regular tests carried out both internally and externally, depending on the requirements of each certificate.
- Over 10 tests and self-declarations, which expire periodically and are renewed with tests or documentary review according to the rules specified by each entity issuing the certificate or under which the self-declaration is issued.
The major topics covered by these certificates are:
- Food contact.
- Volatile emissions.
- Applications like façades, ships, trains, flooring, etc.
- Environmental certifications, such as:
- Life cycle analysis.
- Carbon Neutral.
- Self-declarations on the absence of hazardous substance content, such as Declare and HPD labels, stand out the most.
In order to verify the effectiveness of our management system, and to check that the characteristics of the processes conform to the specifications expected of it, 11 audits were conducted during 2020, 10 in the factory in Spain and one in Brazil. These audits showed an improvement in results compared to the previous year.
Improvements were also made to control incidents detected in the different processes. These have helped improve management and decision making, analysed root causes and allow us to implement improvements and risk reduction in each of the production plants.
As part of our firm commitment to continuous improvement, and risk reduction, improvements have been made at process level to detect incidents, with the digitalisation of different control parameters being carried out in 2020. This automation has made it possible to convert the data into knowledge for decision-making.
Risk management and control
At Cosentino, we are exposed to certain risks, which we manage by applying systems to identify, control and manage them. Accordingly, we use various tools to anticipate the different kinds of financial and non-financial risks faced by the company.
→ With the aim of mitigating potential adverse effects on our economic and financial profitability, and against the backdrop of uncertainty in the financial markets, we drew up a global Group risk management programme that covers financial market risks, credit risk and liquidity risk.
→ We update our SWOT matrix on a yearly basis. It is a comprehensive analysis that considers the perspective of different departments in the company: Finance, Innovation, Internal Auditing, Purchases, People, Sales Process, Logistics, Health and Safety, Quality and Environment. The SWOT matrix is part of our Annual Strategy Plan and is reviewed by the Board.
→ We establish corrective or preventive action for each of the situations of risk identified in our annual review.
We update the Company’s risk map every 2 years. For the 2019 and 2020 financial years, we identified 10 critical risks and 24 risks to monitor. Responsibility for monitoring the 10 critical risks has been assigned and risk sheets drawn up that include indicators to measure risks, the company’s internal guidelines that regulate the processes affected by these risks, and the action plan being carried out to mitigate them. These risk sheets are presented at the quarterly audit and control committee meetings.
How do we make it?
→ We work with a strong focus on our clients: marble suppliers, kitchen and bathroom retailers, architects, designers and builders/developers from around the world. These are the key players, the ones who keep us in the loop so that we can respond to our end users’ needs.
→ We channel this connection through our various business units all over the world: Cosentino Centres and Cosentino Cities. We also rely on a solid multi-channel communication and marketing strategy, in parallel with the constant reinforcement of the brand positioning with our stakeholders.
→ We seek to go a step further in our collaboration with our customers and partners, working together across our value chain through open innovation processes, the promotion of health and safety, respect for the environment and 360-degree quality.