Once upon a time the main tool was the pick, used to prise out blocks of
slate from the surrounding material. The entire mining and finishing processes
were performed using hand tools only and for a long time slate was often
even transported by hand.
Now slate mines and workshops are equipped with modern equipment and machine
tools, some of them computerised. New technology has opened up new production
segments involving complex fabrication processes to create a broad range
of objects and decorations.