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MEDUSA CARRIES ON BUILDING IN 2011 INTO 2012

Medusa has, during 2011, had an exceptional year propelled by our long term contracts. We have gained further market share in the industry and proved our ability to raise our turnover to the highest levels in difficult market conditions. During 2011 we completed the next phase of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. This included the Prayer Hall with Mihrab, marble wall panelling and marble floors. We have also enjoyed working with various main contractors on conservation for private estates and are pleased to say this work is ongoing.

MANUFACTURING

Medusa moved forward with new technology last year with the Egil CNC saw purchased in May 2011, extending the uses of the saw and carrying out production of a two metre white marble fountain bowl. The Egil has been working full-out since installation, carrying out the full range of its capabilities making staircases, floors, mouldings and a fair range of worktops and counters.

MEDUSA IS MOVING IN 2012

We are pleased to announce that we are moving premises in March 2012. We have completed the purchase of Watts Quarry, a blue lias stone quarry only two miles from our current works. This is very exciting and we will move into a refurbushed 3,500 sq ft workshop with two storey office and sample rooms. We will be moving our Egil CNC, our 2.1 metre secondary saw, the polisher and our new OMAG into the new workshop. This will back up our primary block saw capacity from our Benetti FAST 735, this being one of the fastest primary saws available. Outside the workshop we have over 1,800 sq metres of concrete yard for production and storage of materials and will install a 10 ton gantry below our extensive slab racks to allow seamless unloading and distribution of material. We look forward to working in this very pleasant environment with views over the Somerset countryside.

NEW 'STATE OF THE ART' CNC MACHINERY

Medusa has instructed Roccia Machinery, the UK agents for OMAG in Italy, to supply a Blade 5 CNC. This machine will have a 1.5 metre Z axis; this means that a block up to this height can be worked in 5 axes. This will be the biggest CNC 5 axes machine in the UK, with very few others in the stone industry throughout Europe. This brings huge scope for architects and designers to produce large sculptures and architectural masonry pieces of exceptional quality from a 3D format from the computer software installed by OMAG. The Blade 5 can cut small engravings to roughing full block and carries a 16 piece self-changing tool station including up to an 800mm blade. We would welcome any production challenge to put on our new OMAG.

PROJECTS FOR 2012

Medusa closed 2011 as Principal Contractor for our Oxford Project carrying out a set of works direct to the Client. We will hand over this responsibility to the new Principal Phase II Fit-Out Contractor , to be appointed at the end of January. This will involve Medusa for 44 weeks up to the end of 2012 with over 1,500m² of stone floors, four main staircases of 66 treads each and external and internal decorative stonework, which will be manufactured from French Limestone.

We are also currently in discussions with the new owners of the Bath Spa Hotel Company, who we are delighted to see, are moving forward with the Gainsborough Project. We hope to keep our involvement as before and complete the supply and installation for the project. We wish them luck with what will be a stunning five star hotel.

It is certain that 2012 will be a challenging year for the industry as enquiries are still lower due to the economic downturn. We hope to maintain and enlarge our market share with the expansion of our countertop production and installation.

January 2012