How Nustone Ensures Quality

Overview of Nustone's Quality Approach

Quality management at Nustone operates across multiple stages of the supply chain rather than occurring only at the point of sale or customer delivery. The approach involves establishing quality criteria at sourcing and manufacturing stages, conducting inspections during production, verifying standards before international shipping, re-inspecting upon arrival at UK warehousing, and maintaining product condition through storage and dispatch processes.

This multi-stage system provides opportunities to identify and address quality issues at points where correction is practical and cost-effective, rather than discovering defects only after products reach customers. Quality standards are informed by Nustone's involvement in sourcing and manufacturing, which allows specification of tolerances, finish requirements, and performance characteristics rather than accepting only the quality levels offered through wholesale purchasing channels.

The quality approach addresses both manufactured consistency (for porcelain paving) and natural variation management (for natural stone materials), with different quality considerations appropriate to each product category.

Quality Considerations at Sourcing Stage

Quality management begins at the sourcing stage, where raw materials are assessed before processing or manufacturing commences.

Natural Stone Material Grading

For natural stone paving, quality considerations at sourcing stage focus on geological characteristics that affect structural integrity, appearance, and performance. Stone blocks extracted from quarries are assessed for geological defects (cracks, voids, mineral inclusions), colour consistency within acceptable ranges for each stone type, structural characteristics including density and hardness to ensure performance requirements are met, and surface texture alignment with specified finish types.

Nustone's quality standards at sourcing stage are communicated to quarry operators, who conduct initial material grading based on these criteria. This allows rejection of unsuitable materials before processing costs are incurred.

Porcelain Raw Material Quality

For porcelain paving, quality at sourcing stage involves assessment of raw ceramic materials before manufacturing. Quality considerations include raw material purity (clays, feldspar, and silica assessed for mineral composition consistency), particle size distribution affecting pressing behavior and final tile density, and moisture content verification to ensure levels fall within acceptable ranges for pressing processes.

Raw material quality verification at this stage ensures that manufacturing processes begin with materials meeting specifications, which supports consistency in finished product characteristics.

Material Consistency Across Batches

For both natural stone and porcelain, sourcing stage quality considerations include maintaining consistency across different production batches. This involves sourcing from consistent geological areas (for natural stone) or maintaining raw material composition specifications (for porcelain) to ensure that products from different production periods exhibit similar characteristics within acceptable variation tolerances.

Quality Controls During Manufacturing

During processing (for natural stone) or manufacturing (for porcelain), quality controls identify issues while correction is still possible.

Dimensional Accuracy

Dimensional quality controls verify that products meet specified size, thickness, and tolerance requirements. For natural stone, calibration processes achieve the specified 22mm thickness standard for paving. For porcelain, calibration achieves 20mm thickness for outdoor use. Controls verify thickness consistency across individual tiles and production batches, with products exceeding dimensional tolerances identified for correction or rejection. Length, width, and edge straightness measurements ensure products fall within acceptable tolerance ranges to support installation precision.

Surface Quality

Surface quality controls assess finish consistency and defect presence. For natural stone, surface finish quality (riven texture depth, tumbled edge characteristics, honed smoothness, sawn flatness) is assessed against specifications. For porcelain, surface texture depth, stone-effect pattern accuracy, and matt finish consistency are verified. Visual inspection identifies surface defects including chips, cracks, scratches, discolouration, or manufacturing marks, with defect severity assessed against acceptance criteria. Slip resistance characteristics are verified to ensure surfaces achieve specified ratings (R11 standard for outdoor use), which may involve laboratory testing of representative samples.

Structural Integrity

Structural quality controls verify material strength and integrity. For natural stone, internal cracks or fractures are identified during cutting processes. For porcelain, post-firing inspection identifies cracks, chips, or structural defects. Material density and breaking strength (load-bearing capacity) are verified through testing of representative samples to ensure outdoor performance standards are met.

Batch Monitoring

Quality controls include monitoring consistency within production batches and across different batches. For porcelain, colour consistency is monitored through visual assessment and, where applicable, colourimetric measurement. colour variations beyond specified tolerances trigger manufacturing parameter review and adjustment. Production batches are documented with identifying information including production date, raw material sources, and manufacturing parameters to support traceability.

In-production quality controls allow identification of manufacturing parameter issues before large quantities are produced, enabling correction and preventing accumulation of defective inventory.

Pre-Shipment Inspection

Before products are shipped internationally from origin countries to the UK, comprehensive inspections verify that quality standards are met and products are ready for international logistics.

Visual Inspection

Pre-shipment visual inspection assesses products against quality criteria established at sourcing and manufacturing stages. Inspectors assess surface finish consistency, colour consistency within acceptable ranges, and absence of defects exceeding acceptance criteria through individual examination or representative sampling depending on order size. Dimensional verification confirms that thickness, length, width, and edge treatment meet tolerances. Products are examined for cracks, chips, or structural weaknesses that may have developed during processing or handling.

Packaging and Documentation Verification

Pre-shipment inspection includes assessment of packaging adequacy for international shipping. Crates, protective wrapping, and palletization are verified to ensure products are secured adequately for sea freight transit. Product labeling including batch numbers, product types, quantities, and destination information is verified for accuracy. For orders requiring multiple batches, batch consistency is assessed to ensure colour and finish characteristics remain consistent across the shipment. Quantity counts and shipping documentation including packing lists and commercial invoices are verified for accuracy and completeness.

Defect Resolution at Pre-Shipment Stage

Products failing pre-shipment inspection are segregated from approved shipments. Depending on defect type and severity, resolution may involve reprocessing for correctable issues, re-sorting where products not meeting first-quality standards are segregated as lower grades or rejected, or outright rejection of products with structural defects or significant variations beyond tolerances.

Pre-shipment inspection is critical because it prevents defective products from entering international logistics, where shipping costs have been incurred and timelines for correction are extended.

Arrival Inspection in the UK

Upon arrival at Nustone's Colchester warehouse, shipments undergo inspection to verify quality consistency and identify any damage from international shipping.

Damage Assessment and Quality Verification

Arrival inspection begins with assessment of shipping damage. External packaging is examined for damage indicating rough handling or impact during transit. Products are inspected for cracks, chips, scratches, or breakage resulting from shipping, with damage severity assessed to determine suitability for sale. Shipping damage is documented for claims processes with carriers or origin facilities.

Arrival inspection also verifies that products received match the quality approved during pre-shipment inspection. Representative samples from shipments are assessed for dimensional accuracy, surface quality, colour consistency, and finish characteristics. For shipments containing multiple batches, consistency across batches is verified. Shipping documentation is reconciled with actual products received to verify quantities, batch numbers, and product types match specifications.

Segregation of Non-Conforming Products

Products identified as damaged or failing to meet quality standards during arrival inspection are segregated from accepted inventory. Products damaged during shipping are separated and either returned to carriers for claims, disposed of, or offered at discounted rates if damage is minor and disclosed to customers. Products failing quality standards that were not identified during pre-shipment inspection are segregated and communicated to origin facilities for process review.

Arrival inspection provides a final verification point before products enter Nustone's available inventory for customer orders.

Storage and Handling Standards

After arrival inspection, accepted products are stored in Nustone's warehouse in conditions that preserve product condition until customer dispatch.

Storage Conditions

Storage standards maintain product protection from environmental exposure and physical damage. Products are stored in warehouse environments that protect from weather exposure, excessive moisture, and temperature extremes. Products remain on pallets or in crates during storage to prevent scratching, chipping, or breakage from handling. Storage organization by type, batch, and production period supports efficient order fulfillment and batch consistency for customer orders.

Handling Procedures

Handling standards during warehouse operations minimize damage risk. Forklifts, pallet jacks, and lifting equipment appropriate for heavy paving materials are used with procedures specifying safe lifting points and securing methods. Warehouse staff are trained in proper handling techniques for fragile materials including natural stone slabs and porcelain tiles. When orders are fulfilled, products are selected, inspected, and prepared for dispatch using procedures that maintain product condition, with final inspection before dispatch verifying that products leaving the warehouse meet quality standards.

Storage and handling standards ensure that products approved through arrival inspection maintain their condition until customer delivery.

Quality Information and Customer Guidance

Nustone provides quality-related information to customers and trade professionals to align expectations with product characteristics and installation requirements.

Specification Communication

Product specifications including dimensional tolerances, finish characteristics, and performance ratings are communicated through product documentation, website information, and customer service support. Clear specification communication helps customers select appropriate products for their applications and understand acceptable variation ranges.

Natural Variation Guidance

For natural stone products, guidance explains that geological formation processes create inherent colour and texture variation within each stone type. This variation is a characteristic of natural materials rather than a quality defect. Guidance includes expected variation ranges to help customers understand what to expect, batch consistency considerations explaining that sourcing from consistent quarry areas supports consistency but complete uniformity is not achievable with natural geological materials, and sample limitations noting that individual samples may not fully represent variation ranges within full orders due to natural variation.

Installation Considerations

Quality-related installation guidance covers substrate preparation requirements that affect how dimensional tolerances perform during installation, jointing methods that affect finished appearance and can accommodate dimensional variations within tolerance ranges, and sealing recommendations for natural stone materials that protect surfaces while acknowledging that sealers do not alter fundamental material characteristics or natural variation.

Quality information and guidance align customer expectations with product characteristics, reducing misunderstandings about acceptable variation and performance expectations.

Handling Quality Issues

When quality issues are identified by customers after delivery, structured processes facilitate assessment and resolution.

Reporting and Assessment

Customers who identify quality issues contact Nustone's customer service team with order information, detailed descriptions, and photographs. The assessment process reviews reported issues to classify them (defects outside specification tolerances, shipping damage, natural variation within acceptable ranges, or installation-related issues), assess severity and impact on product usability, and determine whether issues originated during production, shipping, handling, or installation.

Resolution Approaches

Depending on assessment findings, resolution options include product replacement for defects outside tolerances or shipping damage, credit adjustments in situations where replacement is not practical, technical guidance for installation-related issues, or collection and re-delivery for significant quality problems. Resolution timing and methods balance practical considerations including inventory availability, customer project timelines, and issue severity.

Process Improvement

Quality issues reported by customers are analyzed to identify process improvement opportunities. Recurring issues trigger communication with origin facilities for corrective actions, review of inspection processes to determine if criteria or procedures require adjustment, or specification review if issues indicate tolerances require revision to better align with customer expectations or installation requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions