Design in the natural stone transformation sector: evaluating a new concept

the european natural stone sector is declining; sales and imports are decreasing, owing to growing competition from asiatic countries concerning the diversity of low-cost materials and european cultural and historical traditions demanding a commitment to invest in the best equipment and technology available. design plays an important role in a company regarding the development, innovation and creation of competitive products. the present research involved a questionnaire being given to portuguese and spanish companies working in the natural stone sector to ascertain the companies' characteristics, identifying those working with internal departments specialising in innovation for developing new products and studying the feasibility of working with a new concept by studying the relationship between these companies and the importance they attach to the sensation of well-being which a natural stone product offers. the results showed that companies recognised most feelings presented here as being 'important', mainly those referring to social factors. it could be concluded that a company working with an internal design department for product development appreciates such concepts and adds more value to them.