Traditionally, multiple pieces of equipment have been required to process a stone slab. Separate machines that cut, drill or finish the slab surface have been used by stone-processing companies worldwide for centuries.
In Portugal, however, four organizations formed a consortium several years ago to change the way that stone is processed. The participants include a machinery supplier (Zeugma Tecnologia de Sistemas Industrias, S.A.), an engineering company (Tecnibite Informatica, S.A.), a materials testing center (FrontWave Engenharia e Consultadoria, S.A.) and a technical school (Tecnico Lisboa Institito at the Universidade de Lisboa).