We were very pleased to see a strong showing from Irish firms at the recent Natural Stone Show, held at Excel in London’s Docklands. This show takes place every two years, and is the only trade show which concentrates exclusively on natural stone, so it’s an important event for our industry. Five of us from McKeon Stone spent a day at the show, where some of our Kilkenny Blue Limestone could be seen on the stand of our London distributor, the CED Stone Group. (That’s our MD, Niall Kavanagh shaking hands with our machinery supplier Julio, of Benetti Machine, Carrara, Italy, on the CED stand.) One of our customers, McMonagle Stone from Donegal, had their own stand at the show.

 

That’s our MD, Niall Kavanagh shaking hands with our machinery supplier Julio, of Benetti Machine, Carrara, Italy, on the CED stand.

Growing Confidence in the Irish Stone World

The buoyant atmosphere at the Natural Stone Show reflects a gradual return of confidence to the stone industry. After some difficult years, there seems to be more construction planned and in process, leading to a growing demand for stone products. There is also an interest in natural building materials which links to concerns about sustainability and environmentalism. We can expect to see increasing investment in new plant and machinery soon as the industry responds to this changing climate.

UK Construction Continues to Grow

According to the Office for National Statistics, March 2017 was the twelfth consecutive month for which UK construction output was higher than in the same month the previous year. The first quarter of 2017 was the fifth consecutive three-month period of growth. These figures suggest that, so far at least, the prospect of Brexit has not had an adverse effect upon building – as the skyscape of cranes in many British cities attests.

McKeon – Ready for a Strong Future

As a leading supplier of natural stone, we at McKeon Stone are looking forward to responding to a growing demand for our products. Why not contact us to find out how we can help you with your project?

Phone: +353 (0)57 862 5151 Email: info@mckeonstone.ie