ACO Marine gears up for increased demand

(Posted on 14/01/19)

Ship sanitation solutions supplier ACO Marine plans to triple production at its Pribyslav plant in the Czech Republic to meet increased demand for its stainless-steel wastewater treatment products.

ACO Marine Managing Director Mark Beavis explained the boom in the river cruise market is one of the main driving forces behind the ramp up in production.

“We will supply wastewater management solutions based around our advanced Maripur NF sewage treatment plant to a significant number of river cruise vessels scheduled to drydock this winter.

“ACO Marine is developing rapidly in this new market offering a very competitive solution which is attracting the interest of many owner/operators of these types of vessels. This trend is being reflected by the numbers of retrofit orders already booked for the 2019 winter season and beyond.

“To meet this increasing demand, we will expand our Pribyslav facility and bring production of all of our stainless-steel products under one roof. The expanded assembly hall will allow us to triple our stainless-steel production capabilities, and thus keep up with growing demand from across the marine industry,” said Beavis.

The development is part of the wider reorganisation and expansion of parent company ACO Group’s logistics centre in the Czech Republic, which Beavis says will “bring greater benefits to the efficiency of the whole operation”.

The expansion of Pribyslav plant follows the opening of a new MENA (Middle East and North Africa) marine sales and service operation at ACO Marine’s facility in Dubai.

ACO Marine’s Business Development Manager, MENA Region, Raduan Al-Kheir, said: “A significant part of our business is the design and manufacturer of high-end, stainless-steel wastewater treatment plants for super and mega-yachts. Many are owned by UAE residents who like to keep their vessels in their home region, so it is important for us to provide our customers with the aftersales care and support they need. Dubai is an important centre for both local and visiting yachts.”

The service centre will also provide a testing ground for ACO Marine’s new Maripur NF membrane cleaning service, developed to help reduce operational and maintenance costs. While the mega-yacht sector will be an early beneficiary, the new service will be rolled out to other marine industry sectors later this year.