By
Alex Smith |
Based at its factory in Aspropyrgos, Greece, marine interior outfitter Decon is a specialist in delivering large, complex projects for cruise ship builders all around the world. The company designs, produces and installs a wide variety of structural and decorative elements used in cruise ship interior spaces, helping shipbuilders to deliver high-quality ships on time.
The company’s production department is split into two sections, one of which manages steelworks and B-class products certified for fire safety, while the other is a carpentry workshop that can process all kinds of wood type raw material.
“Our company is able to execute complex constructions, partly due to specialised technical knowledge and also the targeted distribution model of our factory departments,” says Alexandra Tsapatsari, head of engineering department and production line leader at Decon. “This means that when a special, complicated construction is assigned to us, we can accommodate most types of material in-house.
The company works closely with its clients to understand their specific needs and realise their vision for a project.
“We aim to ensure that we fully meet our clients’ expectations from the very beginning of our collaboration,” says Tsapatsari. “An important step is to establish and agree on a detailed and realistic timeline before it’s time for action. All our departments work in tandem to realise the project on time, and we keep in constant communication with the interested parties, informing them of the progress of the project. We pay close attention to the follow-up procedure since we know by experience that constant monitoring is the process by which deadlines and delivery expectations are met.”
Decon also employs its own in-house design department, which is the main point of contact with the company’s clients. Designers communicate with the client to understand their wishes, and then translate those wishes into technical drawings for the production department to work from.
“Having the design and production department on the same premises enables immediate and clear exchange of information,” says Tsapatsari. “This provides a variety of benefits, the most important of which is the direct feedback the designer is providing to the client with all the feasible technical details, the assurance of a product’s compliance with the client’s need, sufficient product quality checks, and of course, observing the production time schedule and by extension, the project’s.”
As well as custom-built, complex constructions, Decon produces its own prefabricated elements for use in cruise ship projects. These elements offer a consistent quality and can be deployed with more flexibility and speed than if the company were to construct every element on demand.
“Our ability to produce prefabricated elements secures the good quality of our products at a very early stage, minimising the possibility of any surprise before the delivery,” says Tsapatsari. “Prefabricated elements can also be rapidly positioned in the places they’re needed onboard the ship, which accelerates installation works and benefits a project’s schedule. Furthermore, since prefabricated elements can be constructed long before we start working on the vessel, this generally makes it easier and faster to achieve compliance for a cruise ship project.”
Ensuring that products are of sufficient standard to be used at sea is a concern for all shipbuilding projects, with each owner and shipyard having its own demands to ensure the final quality of a ship and its interiors. Decon follows strict rules and procedures throughout production to guarantee the quality of a ship and its interiors.
“Being certified by Bureau with ISO 9001:2015, Decon follows strict rules and procedures throughout production to guarantee the quality of the results,” says Tsapatsari. “Based on this standard, the company controls the quality of raw materials, production processes and finished productions, as well as transportation and installation processes.
“Decon applies Safety Of Life At Sea rules for fire safety, producing and installing both C-Class products and B-Class products with Module B and D fire safety certification by Bureau Veritas. Our certified products are 50-millimetre ceiling panels, 50 and 25-millimetre wall panels, and B15 doors.”
This article was first published in the 2023 issue of Cruise & Ferry Interiors. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed. Subscribe to Cruise & Ferry Interiors for FREE here to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox or your door.