Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2021

1 5 2 INTERV IEW Building on a family legacy Rebecca Gibson asks Jan-Christian Hashagen how he is steering signage provider Marahrens through the pandemic towards a more sustainable future in his new role as managing director F ounded by Heinrich Marahrens in his parents’ living room in Germany in 1949, Marahrens has grown from its humble beginnings as a producer of small, engraved signs to an international signage business. Since 1982, it has been managed by Marahrens’ daughter, Janina Marahrens- Hashagen, who successfully expanded into new markets. Now, her son Jan- Christian Hashagen has taken the helm. “It’s a great honour to build on the legacy of both my mother and grandfather,” says Hashagen. “For more than 70 years, Marahrens has been dedicated to continually supporting our clients and delivering high-quality, innovative products that will fulfil their needs and exceed their expectations. This remains my top priority.” Hashagen believes the family ethos is the biggest driver of Marahrens’ success. “My family has always been directly involved in running the company and we’re personally invested in delivering the best possible products and services,” he explains. “Many of our team members have been with us for decades, so they’re highly knowledgeable and skilled, and they’ve built strong long-standing relationships with clients. Our clients can rely on us to offer the same high-quality service every time, as well as continuous support throughout the life cycle of their vessels.” Clients also rely on Marahrens’ desire to innovate. “We always question the status quo, hire new employees with innovative ideas, and we’re not afraid of taking calculated risks when it comes to experimenting with new materials and production methods, or entering new markets,” says Hashagen. “This entrepreneurial spirit enables us to overcome challenges and deliver outstanding products that meet our clients’ ever-evolving needs.” Since March 2020, Marahrens has been tested by the Covid-19 pandemic. “We’ve never experienced so much uncertainty with projects and, like everyone, we struggled with all the health and safety guidance and travel restrictions changing continuously,” says Hashagen. “However, we planned as much as possible, stayed agile and flexible, and worked hard to ensure we could finalise a good number of projects while keeping our team and clients safe.” Marahrens digitised many of its existing manual processes. “We’d already done some digitalisation pre-pandemic, but with most employees and clients working remotely and some still working onsite, we had to quickly find new ways to share “ Our clients can rely on us to offer the same high-quality service every time” Marahrens used high-quality materials to create the sign for Caribbean bar The Lime and Coconut onboard Royal Caribbean International’s Odyssey of the Seas