BBS granite Concepts Ltd are pleased to announce an extraction rights deal with a Northern Chinese Sandstone quarry, which will enable us to supply the UK market high quality Grey/Buff Sandstone for years to come.

Having sourced and tested the sandstone we have made several visits to ensure all the necessary logistics and quality controls are in place; and will continue to carry out the visits and audits on a regular basis. We have a British Quality Control Officer who oversees all our production from the quarry face to the dock; this enables us to rest easy in the knowledge our material is of the highest standards.

Our initial contact in China was able to place us in touch with the local Government official who met with us to oversee the deal, and make sure the local community was well catered for and that employment was guaranteed for the surrounding population.

Our quarry has an annual extraction capability of around 40,000 m2 with additional areas of extraction nearby to increase this amount in the future.

We have already supplied areas of London such as BBC White City, Westfield Shopping Centre, Canon Street and numerous Boroughs, and we have supplied large amounts of this stone to Northern Ireland in line with the natural stone pallet agreed with the Northern Ireland Government and BBS Granite Concepts Ltd.

The relationships we have forged in China have placed us in high regard within numerous communities, and BBS is seen as a company who can be trusted and who will deliver on our promises.

BBS Granite Concepts have been working in conjunction with The Paul Hogarth company in Belfast and various government bodies, compiling a pallet of natural stone which is both affordable and aesthetically pleasing. The working party has achieved a pallet of materials which is now established as the accepted specification for new streetscape work throughout East Belfast and beyond.

It was felt that the material choices should be sympathetic to the surroundings, holding similarities to the natural materials that had been used historically, but above all needed to shout quality and raise the profile of the area. For this reason, our Chevin sandstone was chosen in conjunction with a buff granite.

The grey buff mix of colour through this stone, and the random swirls of mean that everyone can recognise that this is a quality material. Paul Hogarth Architects cleverly chose a traditional laying pattern incorporating different gauge widths and random lengths to further emphasise the nature of this material and reduce wastage in the production process.

A buff coloured granite which closely matches the existing material was chosen for the kerbs stones in order to withstand the harsh treatment they often receive. Using granite will ensure that these kerbs will last for 50 – 100 years delivering an excellent whole life cost.

For further information and images on the stones chosen please see our products section on this web site.

Along with BBS Natural Stone Specialists, BBS Granite Concepts Ltd have already built a proud reputation on Ethical Trading, brought about by a strict policy. Continual visits throughout the year ensure welfare and working conditions in overseas operations are of the highest standards possible. Trading with potential suppliers cannot commence until our expectations and standards of supply have been discussed and agreed. All our suppliers are keen to show their high health and safety standards, their onsite training programmes and the health and welfare available to their workforce. Having been independently audited by varying UK interests, our suppliers sustainability has shown an extremely high standard in all areas of manufacture and supply of natural stone. This topic is increasingly discussed and is high on our agenda when promoting our products.

Granite Concepts were recently tasked with carrying out a full quarrying and manufacturing audit on behalf of Transport For London.  On site visits and photographic/video diaries were kept with a full written report submitted on our return from China. The report was well received, and showed the safe working conditions for the granite workforce, coupled with extensive and full use of PPE by the workers.

Granite Concepts has always had the supply workforce at the forefront of our minds. We believe a fair price paid by us will increase the standard of the working conditions for the suppliers. As a company we invest in supplier development ensuring H&S, PPE and general working conditions are as high as possible.

COSHH Downloads

COSHH Datasheet – Cutting paving and kerbstones with rotary cutters

COSHH Datasheet – Primary and secondary sawing

COSHH Datasheet – Advice for managers

BBS was established in 1990, full name BBS Brick and Stone, since then it has supplied natural stone from UK sources, principally sandstones from Yorkshire and Derbyshire.

In 2007 a new Company was formed by the principals of BBS. The Directors were getting frustrated that they could not offer imported stones at competitive rates thereby limiting their ability to win a large number of projects. Principally those consisting of a mixture of UK and imported materials.

The new Company, BBS Granite Concepts, are now able to offer almost every type of natural stone from around the world. Currently importing from China, Vietnam, Spain, Portugal and Italy. In addition Granite Concepts can now offer genuine Scottish Whinstone.

Granite Concepts is staffed by individuals who all extensive experience of the natural stone industry. This wealth of experience is invaluable when considering the now often complex jobs, how they should be planned, detailed, quality controlled and administered.

From the outset, especially when involved at specification stage Granite Concepts will try and give advice on finding practical solutions to often encountered problems, assisting with writing sensible specifications and value engineering projects where possible. Granite Concepts has access to technical data if required and can provide further specialist input if needed.

Granite Concepts take great care in the detailing of each new order:

Once an order is received and all details agreed this will be placed with the factory setting out what is needed and when it should be shipped. Any special quality control or packaging requirements will also be detailed at this stage.

For special items, usually anything more complex than a paving slab or sett, GC will produce shop drawings. Whilst GC can accept, detail and issue information on CAD  the most successful way of dealing with these specials is by isometric sketches, either in lieu of two dimensional drawings or to compliment them. To ensure that no mistakes are made each factory order will be double checked by one of GC’s experienced members of staff.  Firstly against the customer’s order then GC’s own written order against detail drawings. At the same time that the order goes to the factory it is acknowledged to the customer with a request for any details to be “signed off”.

Service levels are very important to Granite Concepts and as part of this each customer is provided with a regular up-date. Three weeks after any order is placed with a Factory in the Far East or one week in the case of Europe an up-date will is given on progress. Should anything occur that might have an effect upon the progress of any project it will be highlighted, to the customer, within the order up-date.

A lot of time and effort is spent on improving the quality of crates and packaging and the manner in which GC deliver in different ways to various locations. Each crate is clearly labelled with everything cross referenced against a detailed packing list. The label gives a crate number, our order reference, the material, size and quantity. Any specials will have reference numbers marked on the units as well as the label.

In addition to sending regular up-dates GC’s transport department make contact with the customer during the period the goods are on order to ascertain exactly how deliveries will be dealt with. Further contact is made a few days before the shipment is expected to arrive in the UK to make final arrangements.

Following delivery the Granite Concepts team is available, with representatives throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should a site visit be necessary.

BBS Granite Concepts is pleased to announce their involvement with the Future Gardens project at Butterfly World, St Albans.

Future Gardens is the launch-pad of phase 1 of the Butterfly World Project in St Albans, which was launched in early 2008 by Sir David Attenborough and David Bellamy.  Attracting a range of globally acclaimed designers, this captivating designer garden event includes pioneering designs which acknowledge the fragility of our environment.

Working with H&B Landscape Design BBSGC have supplied black Chinese Granite to complement the steel inlay inscribed with poetry. This modern sharp design contrasts with the beautiful soft natural landscaping.

H&B have designed many schemes including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage herb garden.

Butterfly World Project patron Dr David Bellamy and actress Emilia Fox kicked off the official press day of Future Gardens with a very animated presentation.  Their passion for all things butterflies and nature related was apparent and infectious and they are clearly as proud and honoured to be part of this important project as we are.

The Ethical Trading Initiative is a ground-breaking alliance of companies, trade unions and voluntary organisations. The ETI works in partnership to improve the working lives of people across the globe who make or grow consumer goods – everything from tea to T-shirts, from flowers to footballs and granite to sandstone.

BBS GRANITE CONCEPTS LTD are proud to be a member of the alliance, and add our own best wishes to the group for its future success worldwide. For further information on how our alliance is working to make a difference please visit www.ethicaltrade.org

Being a member of the ETI has given BBSGC the opportunity to show the work it carries out as a matter of course, to ensure that the natural stone materials we supply are ethically and responsibly sourced. Many of our staff members have been supplying Personal Protective Equipment to our suppliers for over 10 years, and this practice will continue ensuring that new and improved equipment gets to where it is needed, but it doesn’t stop there.

To complement our regular visits to our suppliers we ensure that our suppliers have the opportunity to visit us here in the UK; this allows them to see various working practices from quarrying, through the factory and onto the office. Many of the European working practices have been adopted and are now being introduced in the Far East; this includes working hours and new wage structures.

Members of staff here at BBSGC have been involved personally with assisting children in China with their educational needs, from financially supporting a preschool charity enabling the children of the factory workers to attend school, leading ultimately to two young people successfully applying for University places at Oxford.

BBSGC take the implementation of ETI base code as a minimum requirement, but see many other opportunities to go beyond this to keep improving working conditions.

During one of our auditory visits to China we became aware of the lack of constant clean water during the summer months in some of the smaller outlying factories; with this in mind we will be supplying water purification kits to those outlets as part of this year’s initiative. A small video link will be posted on our site later this year showing how this has helped the workers.

Becoming a member of the ETI is only part of the story, being accountable, transparent and continually responsible is the real key.