consistent quality assurance from the production site to the project
reading time - 4 MIN
Public squares and parks are a city’s calling card. If these are designed to match the buildings in the area, a harmonious overall picture is created. When choosing natural stone for the flooring or special design elements, it is worth investing in quality in order to meet the high demands for durability and sustainability. Under the keyword – fair production, the manufacturing processes are increasingly coming into focus.
SUSTAINABILITY
international natural stone variety tested according to German quality standards
belgrano® natural stones come mainly from Europe, especially Spain, Italy or Turkey, as well as from Asia. In 2003, Frank Dickmann and his business partner Ulrich Klösser founded BESCO GmbH (Berliner Steincontor) in Berlin. The company mainly offers advice and planning support for architects and planners for natural stone projects all over the world. The committed commitment of the entire team contributed to the international success. Florian Geyer, who has been a permanent employee of the company since March 2015, has been supporting Besco’s project business as an authorized signatory and member of the management team. Since there was no standardized name for stones at the time of the foundation and to this day, Dickmann and Klösser created the belgrano® brand. This name not only denotes the natural stones that can be used in different ways, but is rather a promise of quality. The belgrano® brand includes various high quality stone types such as granite, diorite, syenite, diabase, basalt, gabbro, gneiss, limestone, sandstone and others. They all meet the strictest technical and design requirements. Frank Dickmann summarizes:
„belgrano® stands for compliance with social and ecological production criteria according to the ILO norms(International Labour Organisation).“
Specifically, this means that customers get the guarantee that the natural stone was produced under fair conditions. A four-digit CE identification number ensures compliance with the safety standards according to EU guidelines. In addition, test certificates issued by independent German institutes certify the properties of the stone. In addition, BESCO has a geologist create so-called thin-section petrographs of the natural stones. This “fingerprint of the rock” with uniform numbering and test certificate makes every delivery traceable.
In order to exclude the possibility of children being used as workers in the quarries, BESCO in the Far East has specialized in the project business with granite stones from China and Vietnam. In contrast to India, the basic ethical rules are strictly observed there. This is symbolized by the partnership with the Fair Stone seal from the WiN = WiN agency, a facility that monitors working conditions by adhering to safety standards in many natural stone factories. Compliance with these guidelines enables architects and municipalities to precisely trace the path of the supply chain. In addition, BESCO employees regularly convince themselves of the human and labor rights conditions in the production facilities. He formulates the demands on his natural stone brand belgrano® as follows: “Architects who plan for cities or municipalities place great trust in our knowledge and actions. This has made us one of the leading natural stone suppliers. We feel obliged to do so.”
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In September, two trainees and a dual-study student, together with their trainer, represented BESCO Berliner Steincontor GmbH at the Bernau Education and Study Fair held at the Paulus-Praetorius-Gymnasium near Berlin.
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Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften: belgrano® natural stone as a pioneering building material for the garden of the future
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The Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften 2024 in Berlin once again offered an opportunity to experience the diversity and depth of science up close. Around 60 scientific institutions opened their doors to visitors of all ages, including universities, colleges, museums and research institutes. BESCO provided belgrano® natural stone slabs to the students of the landscape architecture course at the Berliner Hochschule für Technik for the construction of a show garden.
Four BESCO employees from Berlin went on a joint trip to China in March. In Xiamen, a city on the south-eastern coast of China, they were welcomed by four Chinese colleagues who work as inspectors for BESCO. The highlight of the trip was their visit at Xiamen Stone Fair. At the natural stone fair, the BESCO team was able to maintain existing business relationships, develop new international contacts and explore business opportunities. Away from the fair, the team visited various production partners and gained an insight into the country's culture.
BESCO trainees on an excursion to long-established German company TRACO
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They were given an insight into production and were able to see the complete product cycle, from the stone in the quarry to the finished product. The excursion enabled the four trainees, who are completing their training in wholesale and foreign trade at BESCO, to gain an even deeper understanding of the natural stone industry.
From trainee to the top: Florian Geyer becomes Managing Director
reading time – 5 min
BESCO has completed a generational change: Florian Geyer becomes Managing Director and joins company founders Frank Dickmann and Ulrich Klösser to form the new management team. This marks the start of the rejuvenation of the management team in order to secure the management of the company for the coming decades.
