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Taken from the article in the April 2005 Edition of Stone World.
Cangelosi Company, a custom fabricator and installer of natural stone and engineered stone products in the southwest region of the United States is a family-run operation led by Vito Cangelosi, who formed the company in 1970 when he began representing stone suppliers and fabricators from the U.S. and Europe. Today he is joined by his brother, daughter, son and family and childhood friends.
Together these key employees have a total of over 175 years of combined experience in the stone industry.
Cangelosi’s showroom, office, warehouse and fabrication plant occupy 52,000 square feet of space. Additionally, there is approximately one acre of concrete slab storage area.
The company takes great pride in its ability to fabricate and install artistic stone products at a cost effective price. At Cangelosi’s facility, three semi-automated bridge saws and one edge profiler were used for several years until the demand for fabrication outgrew the capacity of the machines. The expanded 13,000-square-foot plant and new equipment was put into operation in February of 2004.
Cangelosi operates automated bridge saws, which are led by tilting tables and conveyor systems for optimum efficiency. After slabs are cut to size, they are conveyed to an edge polisher for edge profiling. For radius work, sink profiling and detailed shaping, Cangelosi relies on a CNC stoneworking center or waterjet as needed.
After templating is completed Cangelosi’s CAD department utilizes Outline Technologies digitizing boards to transfer templates into DXF format. The DXF files are transferred to the CAD programs providing data for the automated bridgesaws, CNC and waterjet. Scheduling information and packets follow pieces throughout the fabrication process. Currently, Cangelosi is in the process of adding another waterjet and CNC machine to accommodate its increasing volume of work. This addition will increase capacity and decrease production time in a market where turnaround time is a key factor.
Approximately one year was taken to appreciate the full benefit of the CNC machine. Manager responsibilities for CNC and waterjet equipment include training technicians to operate and perform maintenance. There are presently four qualified operators for the CNC and waterjet equipment. For Cangelosi, one of the biggest challenges in learning the CNC was determining the proper tool calibration.
At Cangelosi the waterjet is used for kitchen designs, which is somewhat unusual since the machines are generally use for floor patterns, medallions and inlays. While people are aware of the waterjet’s ability to cut patterns, they may have overlooked the machine’s ability to execute some “everyday practical operations” with optimum accuracy.
Typically, a kitchen is programmed in CAD, and the automatic bridge saws cut the various pieces straight or splayed, depending upon the required dimensions. Any pieces with straight edges are then run on the edging machines (excluding ogees). The kitchens are typically produced in seven to nine pieces, with at least two cut-outs (sink and cooktop). At this point, the waterjet is utilized for cut-outs, faucet hole drilling and neo-angles. These tasks are completed with precision and speed, without requiring the use of the CNC stoneworking. Meanwhile, the profiler is used primarily for edge detailing and radius polishing.
In situations where laminations are required, the waterjet can process the pieces with less waste. The waterjet can effectively produce pieces while freeing up the time for the CNC to complete what it was designed to do.
Some of the company’s recent investments include the purchase of two 5-ton overhead cranes, jib cranes, a water filtration system, a wizard workstation, a second edge profiler and small hand tools.
In addition to the newer machinery, Cangelosi also continues to use some of the same semi-automated equipment it has been using over the past 20 years as additional support and back up to the automated equipment.
Overall, with the combination of technology now in use at the facility, the company is able to produce an average of 175 kitchens a week with turnarounds of seven to nine working days.
Cangelosi services the commercial, custom residential and production residential markets. The company finds that timely deliveries and quality materials, fabrication and installations, strengthen relationships with general contractors, developers, architects, homebuilders, designers and dealers.Annually, the company directly imports over 250 containers of marble, granite, limestone, travertine and slate slabs originating from more than eight different countries.
Today, the company employs a staff of over 100 personnel, about 70% of whom have been with the company for more than 12 years. Veteran employees train new recruits and advise management of new employees abilities to meet quality standards required by the company.
In addition to residential work Cangelosi has a range of commercial projects, including the Enron Building, Reliant Towers, a new terminal at Dulles International Airport, the Montebello Condominiums, 1620 River Oaks Blvd, a new American Airlines Terminal at Dallas Fort Worth Airport, the FIS Building at Bush International Airport and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC which were all completed over the past three years. |
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