Antti Marine’s Markko Takkinen talks about the growing demand for doors in the marine sector
By
Sean Dudley |
This article was first published in the Spring/Summer 2017 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
As a leading designer and supplier of doors for the marine industry, Antti Marine’s team believes no interior space is truly complete without the right door in place.
Markko Takkinen, the company’s commercial director, has been pleased with how the past 12 months have gone for Antti Marine, describing 2016 as a ‘positive year’.
“We have been able to keep our position as one of the marine industry’s main suppliers of doors – a key component for any cabin construction project,” Takkinen says. “We continue to see a strong demand for our products.”
Takkinen says that while the fundamental elements of each door are often very similar, things such as new decorative prints and embossing can help to provide a unique style.
“With our recent work on TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 6 for example, we delivered a distinct decorative print on the doors,” Takkinen says. “We believe doors provide an easy and flexible way to add interest to a ship’s interior.”
Fire safety, sound reduction and ease of use have always been of paramount importance when developing doors for the marine industry. But as companies begin to incorporate IT into more areas of their operations, Antti Marine is now providing doors that can be used with remotely-controlled locking.
“All the time in this industry something is happening, so you have to stay alert,” he says. “You cannot be one step behind – it’s better to be one step ahead!”
Antti Marine has been hired to deliver B-15 passenger and crew cabin doors for Dream Cruises’ newbuild World Dream.
“Work on World Dream is already underway, and we’ll be working on this project throughout 2017,” Takkinen explains. “We are very happy to be supplying the doors for this ship.”
Takkinen concludes by expressing his pleasure at how the industry is currently shaping up.
“At the moment, there looks to be a very bright future in shipbuilding,” he says. “There are big ships coming, meaning lots of jobs to do – and for us, we hope that means lots of doors to supply!”
Going forward, Antti Marine is preparing for an anticipated growth in industry demand.
“We predict that in a couple of years the number of doors required will be double what they are today,” Takkinen says. “New doors are needed and we’re trying to keep up with that. We’ve invested in our technology to help support our efforts. This will massively help our business and meet the demands of our clientele.”