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After almost 50 years in the business, Trimline has seen marine interiors from every perspective. Founded in 1965, the company combines a tradition of expertise with a commitment to learning and innovation. It has developed from the furnishing specialist of early days to offer a broad range of services that can take an outfitting project from conception to delivery – a different approach from what many operators might expect.
Trimline’s recent rebrand is a result of that evolution, as it realised that some customers needed clearer information about the full range of services it offers. “When my father started the business, it was very much focused on soft furnishings,” says Gary Oliver, managing director of Trimline. “We’ve always had our own furnishing workshop, but over the years we’ve added various departments to our offering including joinery, a spray shop for finishing, and our own logistics, CAD and design departments. When we realised some people still thought we were just carpets and curtains, we decided to completely rebrand our offering so people understand more about what we do.”
Trimline asked its clients for suggestions, and learned that they really wanted to know more about the journey through a project and the people who make it happen – a fitting task for a company that is so people-focused, as Oliver explains. “We’ve got some magnificent skills here; people who have been working for Trimline for 30 or 40 years, who know the industry inside out, how the ships work, and what passengers want to see when they walk onto these vessels. So we’re not just a contractor who takes a specification, prices it and delivers it – we take a different approach. We’ve got so much more to offer along that journey and the people here are really engaged with that and want to deliver it.”
The entire Trimline team was involved in the rebrand, which has entailed a change in the company’s stock colour – from orange to aquamarine – as well as a new website and literature that tell the story. “It’s caused a fantastic reaction from our customers and from our workforce,” says Oliver. “They’re so engaged with the whole thing, they all had an input into what we came up with and how the message was going to be conveyed, and the buzz around the place is just incredible. It’s been a really exciting year and it’s having fantastic results too.”
Central to Trimline’s approach is its five key dimensions – aesthetic appeal, end user experience, performance standards, life cycle costs and project management. These five dimensions play to Trimline’s comprehensive expertise, so the company can bring intelligent solutions to high-performance interiors, leaving operators free to focus on running their businesses. “We recognise that people, particularly in the cruise industry, have got very busy jobs,” explains Oliver. “They are out there working to keep the ships moving, to keep the technical side of things going, and to keep their passengers happy. They don’t want to be faffing about with interiors. They want to be selling their cruises and delivering a really good product. That’s why Trimline is heading to a more strategic partnership with the cruise companies. We can deliver what we know about interiors to them without them having to think about it. It’s a fundamental part of what we do and that’s really having an effect.”
For example, close relationships with its fabric suppliers enables Trimline to spot future fashions in marine interiors and build them into its offering so its clients can rest assured that their passengers will enjoy comfortable, up-to-date interiors. “If it’s the right product, the right colour and the right quality, you can deliver luxury at a reasonable cost,” says Oliver. “We can specify the right fabrics for the right area because our people have got the knowledge and experience to do that.”
An eye for innovation is essential in delivering the quality and value that today’s passengers expect, and Oliver and his team work hard at finding innovative solutions. “We’re constantly coming across new products, new ways of thinking and new ways of doing things and we’re thinking hard about how we can apply these products to help operators,” he says.
Trimline’s latest investment in a 3D scanner, means that the company can quickly survey an interior space and generate a pinpoint-accurate 3D drawing of it. “The edge it gives us is tremendous,” says Oliver. “We can measure dimensions off it and draw up furniture which we know will fit exactly into the space. It saves a lot of time on site and in production and it’s a huge benefit to our customers and to us.”
Other innovative products include flooring resin and exterior varnish products that can be cured in minutes using ultraviolet light, instead of having to wait hours before being able to touch the surfaces. “Everything is geared towards speed and longevity, so a quality finish can be achieved quickly and the downtime of the area or vessel is kept to an absolute minimum,” says Oliver.
“We’ve also come across a company that’s developed an extremely lightweight interior bulkhead system made from recycled glass, and with all the correct fire certificates to be able to use onboard a ship. Because it’s lighter than other products out there, installing it can save operators a lot of fuel and energy.”
What comes over clearly in speaking to Oliver is his pride in the dedication and expertise of the Trimline workforce, which handles incredibly complex tasks in a highly specialised industry. “We have such a complicated job here; there are so many steps to get correct,” he says. “It involves a lot of different departments and people, and getting it right demands real commitment and a real understanding of where they sit in each part of that process.”
Nurturing the next generation of experts is important, says Oliver, observing that in such a small industry, it isn’t possible simply to pick up staff on the job market that can do what the company needs them to do. And while some staff have transitioned from associated land-based industries such as construction, the conversion to marine – involving different rules and regulations, safety issues and the irregular working hours of the leisure industry – can be a challenge. “It’s far better that we’re able to build the company culture with new graduates and they get to know exactly what an operator needs,” says Oliver.
This is an abridged version of an article that appeared in the Autumn/Winter 2013 edition of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read the full article, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats.