1Introduction

ctap

Ctap The Technological Centre for StoneCtap is the leading institution in technological development and the implantation of R&D culture in the stone sector and related industries. Our mission is to improve the competitiveness of businesses in the sector, through the generation and transfer of knowledge and the implementation of new business models.

01Introduction

ctap

The Technological centre for stone is a private foundation created in 2002 with thanks to entrepreneurial drive and the collaboration of The Economic, Innovation and Science Council.Occupying a position within the Andalusian system of knowledge and as a National Technological Centre approved by The Ministry of Science and Innovation, developing our activities at a national and international level.

01

Attributes

WE LEAD R&D IN THE NATURAL STONE SECTOR

EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT

DEMONSTRATING CONFIDENCE IN BUSINESSES

EXPERTS IN STONE

Introduction

Ctap commiting to… 

…Open innovation and international cooperation. This is defined as an open system, collaborating with its sector and other industrial environments.

 

…The excellence in R&D, to lead the natural stone , converting the social strategy of businesses and anticipating changes in the market.

…Its human resources team, committed to the sector carefully specialised in stone knowledge.

… Sustainability. Strongly committing to the environment and businesses.

01Introduction

patronato

Patrons

 The Ctap foundation is supported by a patronage with 56 members, which functions as an independent body of government and representation.

The large majority of the patrons are representatives of businesses in the stone sector and other related industries. A shared vision and a common strategy are the targets to achieve and meet the challenges in the sector.

01Introduction

ctap

The Team

Ctap’s team of professionals are without doubt our best attribute, 50 people working to improve the future of the stone industry. The team at the Technology Centre work on comprehensive projects organized into groups, with multidisciplinary profiles and working with collaborators outside the organisation.

01

Scope

Our activity is beyond national boundaries. We work with a wide range of collaborators, national and international, who favour the generation of solutions and the creation of projects for stone in line with market trends (universities, technology centers …) in USA, Brazil, France, Belgium Russia, Italy, The United Arab Emirates and Morocco.

Introduction

Technological Centres, Institutes and Universities

TECHNOLOGICAL

CENTRES

Spanish TCCTMNC, France

CTP, Belgium

ESBULCO, Bulgary

CETEMCO, Morocco

CETEMAG, Brazil

MQTC, Egypt

CVALOR, Portugal

01CTAP Introduction

UNIVERSITIES:

School of Mechanical Ingenieers of

Metz (France)

University of Gante (The Netherlands)

Spanish and Andalucian Universities

Enterprises 01CTAP Introduction

ctap

Ctap grows with the industry

650 Clients

104 private projects since 2007

26 internal R&D projects since 2007

€ 984,928,215 of investment in equipment

and technological infrastructure since 2002.

4 known patents

5 patents on course

 

 

01

Evolucion between Private Investment & Public Investment

Introduction

2Areas of work

ctap

Areas of work

The activity in Ctap is organised into three interrelated working areas. The working areas are composed of highly specialised professionals in different disciplines, investigational departments and strategy experts. Each working area has its own differentiated lines of work and in turn carries out successful projects, which are transferred and implemented within businesses.

-The R&D Working Area

-Eco-sustainability

-Businesses and competitiveness

02

ctap

R&D

The environment where R&D is converted into business reality. Each line of work has its own multidisciplinary team, where business vision and the market occupy an equal position to science-technology.

02

1) The development of new technologies2) The generation of new efficiency systems and

industrial organisation3) The research and development of new materials4) New product design which combines technology

and crafts.5) The formulation and generation of new products

directed towards the auxiliary stone sector.

Eco-sustainability

The working area is strongly committed to the environment. The mission is to generate productive activity which demonstrates more respect for the environment through good industrial practices.

The core business is the extractive and productive efficiency and to stimulate the generation of high value products from the sector residues.

02

1) Adding value to by-products from the sector.2)Environmental innovation. Advanced techniques of restoration and landscaping.3) Efficiency systems

ctap

Businesses and competitiveness This working area is the most empathetic with businesses. Its mission is to be a direct channel and a companion on the journey to competitive differentiation of the enterprises’ business.

 

02

1) Development of new business models2) Strategic positioning in the market 

3Lines of work and successful projects

NEW TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT. More efficient, safer, quicker and the latest

technology which improves the elaboration and production process.

Striving for the transformation of the sector with thanks to the implementation of advanced tools,

based on automation and digital processing techniques.

03

Artificial Identification Technology

The Artificial Identification technology allows the automatic classification of stone, taking into account aesthetic qualities. The project is based on the application of pioneering techniques of artificial vision in the stone sector.

Artificial vision allows the classification of material as follows:-Homogeneity of compositions carried out with pieces of natural stone.

Alignment of pieces used in compositions of natural stoneOptimum cut- Avoiding the cutting of damaged or imperfect zones in natural stone.

Lines of work and successful projectsR&D

New possibilities for stone classification and stone compositions

Stone composition based on Computer Vision – every tile is worth it!

Successful projects New technologies in the stone industry

Computer Vision and dimensional control 03

Successful projects New technologies in the stone industry

Computer Vision and dimensional control

A new concept for stone and arquitecture 03

GENERATION OF NEW EFFICIENCY SYSTEMS AND INDUSTRIAL

ORGANISATION

 

 

Systems that provide useful and up to date information for the organisation and facilitate

effective decision making. These tools promote a change in the productive model,

with thanks to the implementation of efficient organisation systems and

production management.

03

Idstone y Captura

Captura “Methods and Times” This new tool allows the measurement of efficient productivity in each part of the production process. Providing up to date information about production costs, helping to identify wasted productivity in an objective way and knowing process times for machinery and crafting.

Idstone: The first traceable identification system which controls stock in the natural stone industry. With a simple bar code scan, the system allows you to know the source and/or the destination of the work material.

Lines of work and successful projectsR&D

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INTO NEW MATERIALS

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New material derived from the detailed study of natural stone characteristics and their

combination with other products like polymers and resins. The resins are

analysed and characterised by Ctap’s laboratory in collaboration with the

University of Almeria. The central objective is to generate more exclusive and

sustainable materials with a higher value in the market.

03

NEW PRODUCT DESIGN WHICH COMBINES TECHNOLOGY AND CRAFTSMANSHIP 

 We support the design of new stone structures adapted for contemporary living. The objective of this line of work is to create advanced, attractive and useful stone products.

Lines of work and successful projectsR&D

• Different surface finishes to define a family of products derived from a single and exclusive material

• Surface process treatment definition: types of abrasives, sequences of abrasives and machine parameters

• Process optimization to minimize operating costs

• Brand definition and market positioning

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INTO NEW MATERIALS Successful projects

Gutiérrez Mena

03

• R&D + Design applied for spa and wellbeing equipments made of stone.

•Development of completely new technologies for stone heating, water flow system along stone components and lighting stone components.

• Chemical protections for water and oil environments.

• Industrial protection pending for every product and two patents for the general technology.

Successful projects NEW PRODUCT DESIGN WHICH COMBINES TECHNOLOGY AND CRAFTSMANSHIP

Idispaces

03

FORMULATION AND GENERATION OF NEW PRODUCTS DIRECTED TOWARDS THE

AUXILIARY STONE SECTOR 

 In the continuous search to provide value and solutions for the stone sector, it has been a priority to generally improve the

value of the production and transformation lines. For that reason this line of work has

been of great importance in Ctap’s work.

03

Resin formulation

Ctap is developing new resins and polymeric products for the surface treatment of natural stone. These new products encompass important improvements instead of commercial resins currently being used; they have been designed uniquely for the natural stone market. Furthermore new adhesives are being developed which improve the sticking qualities and the reinforcement of stone materials.

Lines of work and successful projectsR&D

VALUATION OF BY-PRODUCTS FROM THE SECTOR

 

 One of the targets of this line is to implant

the possibility of generating new applications derived from the reuse of residues created

by the sector. The residues which before generated costs, in the future could be

returned as profits, furthermore favouring a more sustainable industrial activity.

.

03

Valuation of by-products from the sector Ctap in collaboration with other technological centres and

universities is developing a novel method to provide added value to residues created through the elaboration process of natural stone. The ‘Reuse of sludge generated by the cutting of natural stone’ project has a target to study the possible diverse uses of sludge, for example the purification of contaminated water with heavy metals. As well as the mixing of the sludge with ceramic residues, to be used as mineral fillers in the plastics industry or for the fabrication of cement. 

 

Eco-Sustainable environments

Lines of work and successful projects

 Ecological restoration

.The objective of this project is the rehabilitation of wasteland. Favouring sustainable and reasonable use of natural resources and demonstrating that the recovery of these spaces is a source of social and cultural wealth.  It is an innovative restoration system based on 100% ecological recovery in addition using the most advanced technology for the implantation of vegetation. This innovative recovery technique originates from the study and collection of indigenous seeds from the restoration zone, through the production of the plants in Ctap’s greenhouse, up until the usage of new methods to improve the ground conditions or erosion reduction will be in place.

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03ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION. ADVANCED TECHNIQUES FOR RESTORATION

AND LANDSCAPING.

 

We continue providing knowledge and the skills to carry out sustainable development of

mining resources through the recovery of wasteland. Ctap has a highly qualified

human resource team to carry out restoration works, in addition it has

advanced infrastructure which supports new R&D restoration and landscaping techniques.

 

Lines of work and successful projectsEco-Sustainable environments

 ERP- FactoryThe system was created and developed for the specific needs which appear in the stone sector. The objective is to accelerate the completion of tasks, improve the production process and control costs. The ERP system allows us to know how to take advantage of raw materials, moreover the profitability of each product and all in real time.

03EFFICIENCY SYSTEMS

The mission of these systems is to allow quick, easy and profitable business resource planning, evaluating the productivity of each step of the diverse transformation processes

in place within the business. 

Lines of work and successful projectsEco-Sustainable environments

 ERP- Quarries

The object of the project is the development of a comprehensive framework for the management of operations associated with the extraction activities in the sector, thus allowing decision making based on economical and objective criteria.

DEVELOPMENT OF NEW BUSINESS MODELS

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Sometimes the development of stone businesses needs comprehensive rethinking in the search to improve

profitability. The Technological centre for stone makes available to the sector, methods and specialised professionals

in external commerce, production trends, distribution, financing, marketing and communication to achieve profitable

business models for the future.

03

STRATEGIC POSITIONING IN THE MARKET 

The target of this line of work consists in transforming the competitive positioning of stone to obtain a product with a high value in the market.The prediction of consumer trends and design, the generation of quality brands and information about potential markets, guides businesses in their reconversion.

Competitiveness and business environment

Lines of work and successful projects

4Highlight: Industrial Experimental Plant

04Highlight: Industrial Experimental Plant

A unique space for R&D in the stone sector.

It is the biggest test bed at a world level

TargetsTo deeply develop knowledge of the stone transformation process.

To become a training centre of excellence for human resources in the sector.

To create a common space where businesses have the possibility to improve their productive processes and generate new uses.

To be the major shuttle of industrial development projects

To establish a culture of cooperation between public and private agents and businesses.

…To increase the focus on differentiation of the sector of Andalusian stone around the world

THE FIGURESInstalled in 100% business environmentAccounting for 10,00m2 of buildingsMore than 22,896m2 of landInvestment of 7.5 million Euros in technologyCo-financed by FEDER funds, Ministry of Education and Science and the Order of the Centers of Innovation, by the Regional Ministry of Science and Business.

comunicados@ctap.es