Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/570649
www.BoatingIndustry.com 50 | Boating Industry | October 2015 MARKET FOCUS SECTION { INTERIORS } BY BRIANNA LIESTMAN I f it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes several to appeal to con sumers' demands. As consumers continue to prioritize com- fort and style and manufacturers work tire- lessly to design vessels that meet those needs, the onus is on interiors suppliers to step up to the plate and create those products. "The consumer these days is very styled and technical-savvy," said Cindy Steele, marine national sales manager at Syntec Industries, "and we have to address that as a supplier." With its offerings in carpet and its new- est introductions of upholstery vinyl, inte- rior cabin fabrics, bedding packages and more, Syntec aims to manufacture products that appeal to the consumer eye. "Taking all of those products, we offer a design service at no charge to our cus- tomer to help them put all of those decora- tive, colorful and textural products together in an interior for a boat," said Steele. "Our industry has changed quite a bit in regards to flooring products, because everyone's looking for something different from an aesthetics standpoint." Syntec introduced a new cool touch and water-resistant flooring product at IBEX this year that comes in dark, saturated col- ors to address these changes. "[Manufacturers] are still looking for something that the consumer can be ex- cited about in way of texture and differ- Performance by design Suppliers discuss how styling, comfort and quality drive boat interiors ent materials and color and pattern," said Steele. "We are also going to be introduc- ing at IBEX products that would suit all of those needs as far as color, texture and something different." The company will be doing this with- out large minimum requirements for the customer. The new products will also give consumers the opportunity to customize their flooring. "Whenever you have something cus- tom, you always have to run larger produc- tion runs. So we're creating something that can bring a new style to the marketplace in regards to flooring, but yet not penalize the customer with large requirements on their end," said Steele. Customization is a focus for several sup- pliers. At SeaDek, the company shifted its focus during the recession from OEM prod- uct to its smaller custom aftermarket product, as many consumers were opting to redesign their old boats rather than buy new. Read more about SeaDek's accomplish- ments in our 2015 Bold Moves on p. 26. Even after the recession, the custom