10th February 2009

The Saltire Society Awards for Civil Engineering 2008.

Hutton Stone Co Ltd were recently awarded a Project Commendation by The Saltire Society in conjunction with The Institute of Civil Engineers along with Scottish Borders Council, SBC Contracts, Universal Fibre Optics and Anderson & Wilson in recognition of the design, development and construction skills used to deliver an attractive and functional town centre for the historic market town of Melrose in the Scottish Borders.

Hutton Stone Co Ltd supplied all masonry and carving work on the project.

6th February 2009

Quarry production has improved significantly with the investment in a new 36 tonne excavator recently and the move away from traditional manual Plugs and Feathers to their Hydraulic equivalent.

We are pleased to announce that quarried stocks of best grade block are currently high and stock yet to be dug looks top quality too.

Swinton Sandstone continues to feature in restoration work in various Edinburgh projects currently ongoing and has recently been supplied to projects in Glasgow, Livingston, Kilmarnock, and Stirling whilst still continuing to supply our local area.

Continued investment in the walling production section of the company has brought two new walling tumbling machines into commission.

Once split, the walling is now tumbled to give it an enhanced aged appearance which is more in keeping with the traditional style of the Borders and North Northumberland.

The Company currently has a selection of traditional stone troughs for sale in various shapes and sizes. Please see the numbered photos (pending) and contact our Yard Manager Ian Black for individual prices.

February 2009

Purchase of a new Spielvogel Pelican Milling and Routing Machine has enhanced the Banker Masonry Workshop facility. The first of these machines brought to the UK has been selected to speed up production of masonry units whilst at the same time drastically reducing the Masons exposure to dust inhalation and hand arm vibration which was our primary goal.

Ironically its added speed has meant that the Masons now spend the vast amount of their time using Mallets and Chisels again which is a welcome return to traditional techniques without any cost implication to the finished product. Prior to purchasing the machine we visited the German factory to help design a bespoke table that suited our specific needs.

Purchase of a new Spielvogel 1200mm secondary saw to replace our original Wells 1200 saw has seen an increase in production of around 30% per day in finished sawn masonry helping us stay competitive in the current climate.

We were pleased to sell our Wells Saw back to the original builder Mr Wells. We had originally purchased the saw when we first started back in 1994 and it was the first 1200 saw he had built having previously only built smaller machines. The machine was still accurate after all those years of working around 44 hours a week – a true testament to its builder. We are extremely happy to know it has gone to a good home.

Updating of our delivery Lorry has been a great success. We took the decision to move to a purpose built flat bed lorry with crane offloading facility for deliveries of our masonry and to move all tipper deliveries to our local Tipper specialists

April 06

As part of Hutton Stone Companies ongoing improvements we have currently on order a new milling and routing facility which is due to be fitted June 2006. Having previously stopped using pneumatic air hammers some two years ago, this new addition will further enhance the conditions for our masons and carvers by removing a large proportion of manual dry grinding work.

March 06

Having trialed several different machines Hutton Stone Company have purchased two new Daewoo fork lift trucks to add to our fleet.

January 06

As part of Hutton Stone Companies health and safety policy our new walling shed and walling line were completed in early January 2006.

This new facility means that no stone is manually lifted until it is its finished size. This also means that the walling sample achieved has improved length and height within the sample.

It also allows us to mimic larger sizes where sensitive restoration deems it necessary.