“The Indian industry has a strong problem-solving foundation, we have an innate ability to find practical solutions. The key is to channel that strength into driving innovation rather than simply solving problems as they arise.”
1.Natural stone has remained relevant through every phase of architectural evolution, even as newer engineered materials continue to enter the market. What qualities do you believe continue to make natural stone a preferred choice for contemporary construction, and how are customer expectations changing today?
I believe natural stone is one of the hardest materials to replace. It’s a gift of Mother Nature, formed underground over thousands of years, and remains relatively inexpensive to source. It’s the result of thousands of years of mineral compression and weathering beneath the earth’s surface, making it naturally weather-resistant, heat-resistant, versatile, and strong.
That versatility is where natural stone has a clear advantage, and it also influences how customer expectations shape colour preferences. Natural stone isn’t naturally available in pure white, and when it is, for example, white marble from Vietnam, it tends to be relatively soft and not particularly strong. As a result, engineered stone has long focused on replicating the strength and durability of natural stones such as granite while offering a wider range of colours that are difficult to find in nature, including white, blue, pink, and other shades.
Customers also expect stone to be easy to maintain and durable enough to last. While engineered materials have made marginal improvements in certain areas, it’s still difficult to outperform natural stone across all these attributes.
2.Architects and developers increasingly expect building materials to deliver aesthetics, durability, and sustainability in equal measure. How is this influencing the way stone products are sourced, processed, and supplied for modern projects?
Block selection, this is something no one could have imagined a few decades ago. Today, it’s not uncommon for luxury architects to travel with us to Italy to personally select the block they want for a monumental pillar or luxury flooring. For example, in July 2026, at the request of Frederic Bonnet, one of our valued customers from France, we travelled to Namibia to select some of the finest blocks of White Rhino marble for his project in Marseille.
3. From luxury residences to hospitality, commercial developments, and public infrastructure, every project has distinct material requirements. How has the demand for customised stone solutions evolved over the years, and what role does precision fabrication play in meeting these expectations?
Customisation and standardisation sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. As standardisation increases, scalability, precision, and reliability improve, making it easier to deliver more with fewer errors. With greater customisation, however, you can create a much wider variety of products, but every piece becomes a unique challenge to execute correctly.
For example, we recently worked on precision-cut, large-format, cut-to-size tiles in Calacatta Gold and Carrara marble from Italy. This is one of our core areas of expertise, it’s a standard fabrication job where we can produce large volumes efficiently, meet project timelines, and guarantee precision.
The same customer then requested a Calacatta marble basin carved from the very same block. That’s a completely different challenge. It required Petros’ engineering team to work closely with designers from Singapore to transform a standard production process into a highly customised one.
For example, Vikram Jain, our Head of Operations, developed a manufacturing pipeline that leveraged both conventional and CNC machinery to achieve scalability without compromising customisation. This is where automated fabrication makes both possible offering extensive design flexibility while using the same integrated machining system to maintain consistent precision across every piece.
Ultimately, we delivered 44 unique Calacatta marble pillars, tubs, and freestanding basins, all completed in time for the resort’s opening.
4. India has long been recognised for its rich natural stone resources. Beyond resource availability, what factors will determine whether Indian manufacturers can strengthen their position in the global market over the coming decade?
Indian manufacturers need to focus on two areas where India has historically struggled meeting promised timelines and maintaining promised manufacturing tolerances. There is a perception that manufacturers often miss delivery schedules, provide overly optimistic estimates at the beginning of a project, and later attribute delays to reasons such as machine breakdowns, labour shortages, and other unforeseen issues.
The second challenge is manufacturing precision. A “jugaad” mindset can make it difficult for large international projects to rely on Indian manufacturers for consistent, large-scale supply.
By building independent manufacturing pipelines supported by realistic project planning, greater manufacturing precision, better machinery, skilled operators, and well-defined teams, Indian manufacturers can significantly strengthen their position in the global market.
5. The conversation around sustainability often focuses on operational efficiency, but the environmental impact of construction materials is receiving equal attention. How can responsibly sourced and efficiently processed natural stone contribute to more sustainable buildings and longer asset life?
This goes directly against the notion of “hand-picking” blocks. Taking a flight from Mumbai to Paris and generating more than 1.5 tonnes of carbon emissions to select just a few blocks is, in many ways, the opposite of sustainable sourcing. We try to reduce our carbon footprint through our office in Germany, led by Engin Keysan, which not only guides customers visiting Italian quarries but also eliminates the need for many European customers to travel to India to understand our capabilities and get to know Petros Stone LLP.
We also worked hard to secure environmental clearance for our marble mining operations, reinforcing our commitment to responsible and compliant resource development.
The future, in my view, lies in a circular economy finding ways to repurpose existing stone. For example, manufacturing new slabs from leftover or cobbled stone can become one of the most effective ways to reduce waste and contribute to more sustainable buildings.
6. Petros Stone has built a strong presence in international markets. How have global project requirements influenced your approach to product innovation, manufacturing standards, and customer service, and what lessons can the Indian industry draw from these experiences?
Innovation begins with recognising that every project presents a new challenge. The Indian industry has a strong problem-solving foundation, we have an innate ability to find practical solutions. The key is to channel that strength into driving innovation rather than simply solving problems as they arise.
For example, customers from Germany expect a level of standardisation and precision that is among the highest in the world. This is where standardised processes and independent inspections by SGS become invaluable, providing guidance and assurance that help us execute new projects to the required quality standards.
Customer experience has taught me an important lesson: if you get everything right, customer service rarely becomes a major issue in international markets. Most buyers are understanding when something goes wrong, provided you respond quickly, offer a practical solution, and resolve the issue before it affects their trust.
7. Looking ahead, what are Petros Stone’s key priorities for the next phase of its growth, and how do you envision the company contributing to the future of India’s building materials industry as well as strengthening the country’s position in the global natural stone market?
Our key priority for the next phase of growth is to strengthen our expertise in working with more luxury materials, such as Calacatta Viola and Breccia Capraia. These materials demand exceptional attention to detail, as even a small mistake can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Our goal is to develop a level of expertise that puts Indian manufacturing firmly on the global map for processing the world’s most premium natural stones.
Beyond that, we want to apply these learnings to Indian materials, demonstrating that stones such as Shiva Gold and River White can meet the same global standards of quality, precision, and craftsmanship. In doing so, we hope to elevate the reputation of Indian natural stone in international markets.