4th December 2006

We are met at the airport by Rajiv Bazaz, the Managing Director and Owner of Stoneshippers India, our sole supplier of Indian Natural Sandstone and our driver for the next 3 days, Maveram.

From here and armed with several bottles of water we set out on a 5 hour (250 kms) drive on NH12 to Kota where Stoneshippers India have their quarries and main production facilities.

Driving in India is always an interesting process, with there being only one side of the road, the middle, and all manoeuvres signalled by ferocious use of the horn!

We break our journey at ‘the services’ in Tonk for a cold drink and a stretch. Then on into Bundi District stopping at Boondi to look across the valley at the old Palace. We arrive into the town of Kota at about 16:15 and go straight to the main Stoneshippers Manufacturing facilities.

At the main gates we are met by the security guard who asks us to sign in, gives us visitor badges and a copy of the site safety briefing – just like visiting any of our UK facilities. We check the visitor book to see that this is not just for our presence but normal practice and are reassured to see that the book is well used.

We start our tour with a visit to the workers facilities, the rest rooms, the toilets and the changing rooms. All are in excellent condition and are clearly used. Inside the guards hut we check the first aid box and it is full and up to date, with a record of checks being kept on the inside of the door.

From here we inspect the main saw sheds and are pleased to see that proper PPE ( personal protective equipment ) is being used.

For all of the water that is used in the manufacturing process there is a system of filter beds and a recycling system. We also inspect the processing machines for guarding and safe working practices – all are present.

Further round the site we see the workers packing crates of Setts, all of Marshalls products are sorted by hand for size, colour and quality; we check the completed crates and are pleased to see that all is well. Unlike many other companies we have insisted that Stoneshippers India place packaging between the layers to prevent the stones from rubbing during their journey to the UK.

In the main office we meet with the site manager Mr Sharma who shows us training records for all of the staff covering safe working practices, and emergency / fire procedures. All staff records are in place and there is a very comprehensive site manual, including accident reports which were up to date.

We will be returning to this site tomorrow so we head off to another of Stoneshippers India factories, their new Calibration plant. Just as we are leaving a delivery of finished product arrives from one of Stoneshippers India masons yards. Stoneshippers India employs 6 Camels to transport product around their yards, we ask about how the camels are looked after and are assured that they are well cared for. Whilst talking to the driver the Camel starts to give me warning looks I and retreat to the relative safety behind Rajiv!

The Calibration factory is Stoneshippers India newest facility and is still under construction, this site will ensure that every piece of Marshalls product is calibrated to a consistent thickness to aid installation and represents a significant investment for Stoneshippers India.

The site is a hive of construction activity but I am pleased to see that the same standards of Health and safety are in place already, with first aid boxes, safety posters and in particular ‘No child labour’ notices already up.

This plant is also equipped with a sophisticated water processing and recycling system to ensure that the waste material from the calibration process is managed carefully and not just allowed to run into the local water course. The site is a way off being completed and I look forward to being able to inspect the site fully when it is finally completed and fully working. Only then we will be able to see if the quality and health and safety systems are properly in place, but so far so good.

Our last visit of the day is to one of the masons yards. The first thing I see getting out of the car was a local snake, just to prove that we are in India. This site receives raw materials from the quarries and turns it into paving.

Splitting the stone in the right places is a skilled job and Stoneshippers has a core of very skilled masons.

The site manager tells me that whilst all the workers are provided with glasses, gloves and boots, the masons will only agree to wear the glasses, stating that they need to feel the stone to be able to work it properly and in the heat the boots are unbearable.

We go into the site office I ask to see the accident book to check if this is causing problems; the accident book is up to date and lists various accidents, mainly slips and falls – something that needs addressing. Also in the office are the colour masters and size templates to ensure that the paving is colour sorted correctly and that it is dimensionally correct.

Out in the yard the masons are hard at work producing paving. The cynic in me asks whether the masons are wearing glasses just for our benefit but we are told that they realise that if anything damages their eyesight they will be unable to work and therefore have a personal incentive to wear them. These workers have a valuable skill that is in demand in this region.

The final areas we look at are the changing rooms and the rest area. It is now dusk and the mosquitos are out in force, I will certainly be taking the anti-malaria tablets!

We travel to the other side of Kota to our hotel, the Umed Bhawan Palace. The hotel was built in 1905 and was designed to look very much older! After a quick shower and meal in the deserted restaurant (it seems we are the only guests in the hotel) its off to bed ready for an early start in the morning.

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