Greenline Yacht Interiors’ (GYI) parent company, Greenline Interiors, has been around for over thirty years; founded in 1976, the company has been working within the field of luxury interiors on an international scale. With offices in the Middle East, Europe and America, the firm has worked on any number of residences for private clients, including a large number of Middle Eastern royalty, hotels such as Dubai’s Burj Al-Arab and Movenpick and the Kempinski in Bahrain. Having established themselves as a serious player in the world of luxury interiors, the company opened up their maritime arm in 1997.
The decision, while a little odd at first glance, makes perfect sense. The firm was working high net worth clients on a day-to-day basis and, over time, it became apparent that their customers were also looking for a tailored approach to more than just buildings. “We had been recognised as the leaders of the high-end design and manufacturing industry in the region from our parent company. Having worked with clients of a high net-worth, that brought on many of their yacht projects to be designed and outfitted by us,” says Lea Badro, business development director of GYI. From then on, it was clear that opening up a specialist business was the way forward.
Forcing their way through the door of the insular world of yachts was hard going, but the firm managed to establish themselves through sheer tenacity before rising to the prominent position it now finds itself in. “We recognised the importance of being at the [boat] shows consistently and have successfully been there for about seven years,” says Badro. The contacts made at such events were vital for the future of the company. Some of the most promising ties were made with designers.
GYI has worked with some of the biggest names in the yachting world, such as Lurssen and Blohm + Voss and has ongoing projects with regional up and comers Abu Dhabi MAR (Bespoke Issue 16), designers such as Philippe Starck and companies like Porsche Design. It’s an impressive line-up indeed and it speaks well of the firm’s development since opening 13 years ago. GYI is competing against the dominant European outfitters, such as Amels or Struik & Hamerslag, and are meeting them head on. For such a young company, albeit one with a pedigree like GYI’s, it’s an impressive feat.
GYI’s main factory lies in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Freezone, and the company has opened a second facility in Hamburg, Germany. The idea of a maritime company headquartered in the desert seems a little incongruous, but the factory serves as a testing ground for all GYI’s designs. An exacting process, in which every interior is mocked up on a one-to-one scale before completion, results in absolute precision before the completed pieces are shipped around the world for fitting.
GYI have outstripped the competition in recent years in terms of the manufacturing capacity, “We pride ourselves in having the largest yacht interior outfitting factory in the world,” Badro says with a smile. The advantages are plain, “With more manpower, a larger factory and a greater volume of work we can take on any other dedicated yacht interior outfitter.”
It would be a mistake to ascribe GYI’s success to sheer volume, there’s a level of artistry that compares favourably with anything else in the market. Much of this is down to the meticulous selection and retention of staff according to Badro, “Most [of the] management come from a yacht background or have been trained by us. This also includes the factory workforce, that are carefully selected as being the most talented craftsmen of their region where we further their talent in on-the-job training.” The company aims to retain this talented force, year on year, “we strive to give our staff a comfortable and holistic environment to work in. Many of our staff have been with the company from day one, and it is our continued appreciation and recognition of our staff that has retained a lot of them.” The results are clear to see. Not only are GYI operating on a larger scale than any other outfitter, but their designs are appealing to the very top end of the luxury yacht market.
Both the luxury yacht market and the industry in the UAE are relatively nascent. The clientele’s there, as evidenced by the increasing numbers of yacht berths taken up in regional marinas. However, many of the yachts will be built by foreign companies and then delivered to the client. In terms of the industry within the UAE, Badro highlights one or two local firms and the existence of well-established links between European firms and the brokers. There’s clearly room for growth. However, it’s telling that GYI regards the Europeans as the main source of competition: The Middle East’s yacht industry, and indeed the demand for their products, has far to go.
GYI’s future is bright, according to Badro. A collaboration with Royal Falcon Fleet and Porsche Design to produce top-end catamarans, and the Swift 141 project with Pierre-Jean Design Studios mentioned above seem set to continue GYI’s good fortunes. With so many, very different, irons in the fire at any given time, the Dubai-based company seems set to continue in this rich vein of form. The company’s aims are refreshingly straightforward, “We only wish to see consistent growth as well as more unique projects included in our portfolio. The idea is not to keep getting bigger, but to enjoy continued growth and success,” Badro says.
CONTACT DETAILS
Greenline Yacht Interiors
Jebel Ali
P.O. Box 262566
Dubai
Tel. +971 4 886 2244
www.glyi.net
