At the beginning of the year 2024, a thrilling moment was experienced in Miami as the world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, embarked on its maiden voyage. This exceptionally fine vessel was built at the Meyer Turku shipyard and delivered to Royal Caribbean International in late 2023. It is the first of the Icon series – meaning more are to come. This magnificent ship features many Finnish products, including high-quality metal ceilings manufactured by Lautex Oy in Vihti Nummela, Finland.
A five-year extensive project
The project began in 2019, when Lautex initiated discussions with customers and started producing color and product models. Lautex was actively involved throughout the bidding phase, submitting several proposals to many different customers. Eventually, many of these proposals materialized into orders. Lautex has been manufacturing metal ceiling solutions in Finland for over 70 years, and both shipyards and HVAC suppliers have years of experience with Lautex’s high-quality practices and competitive products. Additionally, the company’s location is logistically excellent.
One of the biggest deliveries in Lautex’s history
Lautex supplied a staggering total of 60,000 square meters of metal ceilings for the Icon of the Seas cruise ship. The ship’s stylish ceilings primarily consist of 30 cm wide panels, 60 x 60 cm cassette ceilings, and B-15 class fireproof ceilings in the cabin corridors. From Lautex’s extensive range, various coating options adorn the ship’s interior: painted surfaces, painted wood imitations, digitally printed patterns, and decorative special structures. The space above the ceilings allows for maintenance facilitated by a large number of different maintenance hatches that are easily accessible.
Exclusive customer experience for cruise passengers
The ship is impressive in size, and significant investment has been made in its interior design as well. Innovative lighting solutions create wonderful atmospheres, even though the selected materials have been otherwise understated. Lautex’s Sales Director Kari Välimaa had the opportunity to visit the nearly completed ship before its departure to the Caribbean: ‘The six-deck high Aquadome area as a whole is truly spectacular and unique environment for various show events – not your average nightclub.’ Välimaa describes the project: ‘The scale of the project is evident from the fact that there were a total of 8145 order lines in the delivery. The success of such a massive project requires the alignment of many factors. Execution required seamless collaboration between HVAC suppliers’ design, our own design, production, and sales. Välimaa considers Lautex’s staff’s solid expertise accumulated over decades as a crucial success factor. ‘We have extensive experience in cruise ship product manufacturing, we are adaptable to changes, and we have smooth cooperation with our own material suppliers, summarizes Välimaa.
The impact of the world situation on the project and challenges
The years 2019-23 have been turbulent globally; for example, material prices and general costs rose significantly after the project’s bidding phase. Other challenges for the project included numerous changes to the products along the way. The schedule also became very tight and challenging because it was the first in the Icon series, known as the prototype ship. The size of the ship also surprised many experienced Lautex employees.
Record-breaking deliveries require seamless collaboration
After a long and demanding project, we can rightfully be proud of the end result. I believe I speak for many colleagues when I say that this was a wonderfully successful endeavor. At Lautex, we take pride in being part of such a large-scale project. Just the appearance of the ship alone is innovative and impressive. This vessel was yet another testament to Lautex being a reliable, high-quality, and dependable partner for all kinds of metal ceilings,” says Kari Välimaa, satisfied.
