What a mill visit is actually for

Sourcing

Showrooms are designed to persuade. Production halls are designed to repeat. We visit the second.

The five places that predict a lot’s fidelity are rarely on the tour route. First, the raw-material and glaze kitchen — whether recipes are weighed or approximated. Second, the kiln or press with the least attention, because that is where calibre drifts. Third, the sorting belt: are shade lots physically segregated or merely labelled. Fourth, the packing hall, where edge damage is born. Fifth, the laboratory, which should be boring: current methods, retained samples, and a technician who can explain a number.

A mill that is proud of these five rooms is usually a mill that can hold 4,000 square metres. A mill that wants to stay in the marble lobby is telling you something equally useful.

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