The journey of a marble block from the Saraylar quarry to an architectural project in Europe may seem like a simple logistics chain from the outside. In fact, this journey is a multi-layered process that requires dozens of different stakeholders to work in harmony on a specific schedule and at a quality threshold. As Alpay Doğaltaş, we do not have our own quarry or factory, our role is to be the orchestrator of this chain. With three generations of family accumulation, we establish a single flow that protects the customer's spec among quarry partners, cutting and polishing workshops, quality control units, packaging teams and port logistics partners in the Marmara Island basin.
The process begins with the technical specification coming from the customer. An architect may request a Classic Marmara slab for a residential project, a Pure White large format for a hotel lobby, a White Dolomite for an island countertop, or a calcite aggregate with a specific grain size for terrazzo production. The spec includes the vein structure, tone range, slab thickness, surface finish, dimensional tolerance and delivery date. As soon as we receive this spec, we turn to our quarry partners in the Saraylar region. Which quarry has given which block from which layer in which season is recorded in the memory accumulated over generations. Certain deposits are preferred for the gray vein of Classic Marmara, different layers for the contrast ratio of Panda, another direction for the linear rhythm of Pajama Equator. This eye accumulated by our family extending from Sürmene to Saraylar in 1962 is knowledge that does not fit in a photograph.
Block selection is done in the field. Together with our quarry partner, we read the side surfaces, evaluate the vein direction, crack marks, color transitions and potential void risks. The front and back surfaces of the block alone are not sufficient, reading the four surfaces together shows the real character of the batch. When the selection is approved, the block number, weight data, vein direction sketch and photograph record are entered into the file. This record is part of the corporate memory that allows us to return to the same layer of the same deposit when an additional batch is required for the same project in the future.
After the block leaves the quarry, it is directed to our solution partner workshops. Here, the cutting plan is calculated according to the square meterage of the project, slab size and vein direction. Standard slab cutting is different, bookmatch-targeted parallel cutting is different, monumental large format cutting again requires a separate calibration. Solution partner workshops consist of teams that have come to know our spec language over the years. They know our tolerance threshold, we trust their cutting precision. This mutual acquaintance is the backbone of producing flawless batches. The slab thickness is calibrated as two centimeters, three centimeters or in special projects as four centimeters, the edges are arranged with chamfer cutting.
