For over 65 years, the Marble Institute of America (MIA) has served as the authoritative source of information on standards of natural stone workmanship and practice, and the suitable application of natural stone products. Membership in the trade association is worldwide and includes nearly 2,000 natural stone producers, exporters/importers, distributors/wholesalers, fabricators, finishers, installers, and industry suppliers ? all committed to the highest standards of workmanship and business ethics.
While a primary purpose of the MIA remains setting authoritative standards on all aspects of natural stone installation, the MIA is consistently innovating new ways to assist member companies in the promotion of natural stone.
During Coverings 2012, the MIA will debut two new powerful iPad apps that provide architects and interior designers with tools to assist them in specifying the exact stone required for the project they are working on. Stones of North America (presented with the generous support of MAPEI) is going to change the way architects working on green building projects locate locally quarried and processed natural stone. Version 1.0 includes 70 stones from across the U.S. and Canada in a wide variety of colors and stone types. The ability to punch in the zip code of a building project and have the app produce results of all quarries and processing facilities within X number of miles (generally it will be 500 as that is the current requirement for achieving LEED credit) is something that was previously unavailable on any portable tablet device.
In addition to locating local materials, the app also included a database of TCNA and MIA standards. The user can select what type of project he/she is working on and a list of the applicable TCNA standards and details for use on that type of project will appear. The entire MIADimension Stone Design Manual v7.2 is also included free of charge and is searchable by chapter. The app also features high-res images of the stone in existing applications, ANSI technical data, and more.
iStone is the second app being unveiled at Coverings. Through a collaborative effort with Studio Marmo of Florence, Italy, the MIA is excited to present photos and data on over 1,000 stones from around the world. All stones include a high-res close up image, 3D and bookmatch rendering, and technical data. The data is searchable in a variety of ways including color, country of origin, type of stone, and more.
Through a partnership with Stone World magazine, the MIA provides education seminars all across the United States and Canada on topics ranging from commercial installation to business success for fabricators to marketing in the digital age, and much more. In 2012, the MIA will hold eight seminars. In addition, MIA continues to provide educational sessions at nearly every industry trade show. The MIA also facilitates the stone industry’s only independent credentialing program.
The MIA accreditation program recognizes those companies that are among the best in the natural stone industry with respect to physical facility and equipment, business and trade practices, technical knowledge and expertise, quality control, safety, finance, ethics, customer service, customer education, advertising, promotion, and employee policies for training, advancement, and discipline. The sole purpose of the accreditation program is to increase the quality of fabrication and installation practices in the stone industry and to reward those companies that qualify with a special identity in the marketplace.
MIA invites you to come and learn more about the association at Coverings 2012 in Orlando, Florida. MIA will be exhibiting as part of the TCNA pavilion. Register today for free to join us in April at www.coverings.com.