The pace of new cruise ship projects from leading cruise lines appears to be returning to roughly the same level as before the Covid pandemic,“ notes Metalcolour Sweden’s Chairman of the Board, Ingemar Forsberg.
„Of course, this is gratifying for us, but we are especially happy and proud that we managed the downturn after the pandemic so well. During the gaps that arose, we chose to put a lot of effort into refining our offering and further strengthening our position.”

Given the current unrest in the world, the team frequently discusses what’s happening and the human suffering it brings. These conversations are a natural part of their day-to-day work and reflect a shared sense of concern. Markus Nordkvist is CEO at Metalcolour Sweden:
“With the experience of the pandemic still fresh in mind, we remain attentive to global developments and their potential impact. At this time, however, there is no immediate need to make changes to the business strategy or operations.”

Ongoing and coming projects

Metalcolour has recently completed its deliveries of DOBEL® Film Laminated Steel for Royal Caribbean’s next Icon-class ship, Star of the Seas, and Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Destiny, both of which are expected to enter service in the second half of 2025.
“For ships of this size, we supply between 350,000 and 450,000 square meters to our partners, who then manufacture wall and ceiling panels, doors, wet area components, and more – ultimately becoming part of the new ships,” says Ingemar Forsberg.
Major cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, NCL and MSC have several new ships planned in the coming years, meaning that the expected production rate is back to pre-pandemic levels.
“As the total number of cruise ships grows, we also see increasing demand for refurbishment projects, which, of course, is of great interest to us.”

Responding to market desires

Dobel and Metalcolour are well-known and highly trusted brands in the marine industry worldwide. In 2023, Metalcolour celebrated its 50th anniversary, giving it the opportunity to reflect on past achievements while looking ahead to future progress.
“We have built our reputation on listening closely to our partners and responding with innovative solutions and a can-do attitude. This is the key to Metalcolour’s evolution, and we continue responding to market desires just as we did from the very beginning. The future will always bring new challenges and our growth as a company will depend on doing what we know best, fine-tuning our products and services to deliver perfection,” Ingemar concludes.

Setting standards

Metalcolour continually brings fresh perspectives to projects, which has allowed it to play a key role in developing innovative solutions that are now considered industry standards. Markus Nordkvist:
“We are proud to have been one of the first companies within the industry to develop a fully certified fireproof laminated steel. We were also one of the first companies to offer heat-applied protective film and possibly the only one that provides it for all our products. Heat-applied film is easily removed and leaves no residues whatsoever. We have since the start, offered a minimum order size of just 10 m2, the lowest in the industry by a very large margin.”

Metalcolour’s most valuable asset

High quality requires commitment and Metalcolour is extremely proud of their staff, who truly understand the value of their dedication and what it brings to the company. Markus emphasizes that the depth of knowledge and experience within their staff is unmatched, with an average employment duration of over twenty years.
“Our products are the best on the market for a reason – they are backed by decades of experience, quality assurance, and delivery guarantees.”

Designed and manufactured in Scandinavia

Many industries recognise that Scandinavian manufacturing has some of the highest standards in the world and Metalcolour is very pleased to play a role in that strong tradition. Alongside maintaining a safe and healthy work environment, they continually strive to reduce their environmental impact. They exclusively use fossil-free electricity and rely on river water instead of drinking water for cooling. This water is returned to the river without any impact on its health. They are also a certified zero-pollution, clean-air company, having completely eliminated harmful solvents from their production process. “Made 100% in Scandinavia“ is a standard Metalcolour is very proud to meet.