Cruise and Ferry Review - Summer/Spring 2020

2 2 6 INTERV IEW Signs of the times The last year has been a whirlwind of success for US-based maritime signage firm Bourne Group. Patrick McNulty, the firm’s owner, speaks with Lindsay James to explain why A lot has changed for Bourne Group in the past 12 months. The company has recently opened an office in Amsterdam, Netherlands, which operates as Bourne Group Europe. “A big part of our decision to expand into Europe was to not only support owners with European itineraries, but also to support the shipbuilding industry,” says Patrick McNulty. “Cruise operators are demanding more from their vendors and we felt an investment was warranted to support our industry’s strong growth. We have been operating in the cruise business for long enough to recognise that our clients need their vendors to leverage their experience and offer more.” The firm’s move into Europe has been well received by German shipyard Meyer Werft, who last year challenged Bourne Group to build a sign for the Time Machine restaurant onboard AIDA Cruises’ AIDAnova. “The brief was to create a sign that mimics the classic departures board historically found in train stations,” McNulty explains. “We created an interactive board that the ship’s crew can use to display different messaging. We spent a lot of time in product development to ensure the sign could be maintained onboard a vessel. We made the spare parts modular and ensured it was compatible with the existing onboard communication system.” The success of this project led Meyer Werft to award Bourne Group with a number of additional contracts. “Our proven success in product development and service played a key role in us receiving the signage business for AIDA Cruises’ AIDAcosma, Disney Cruise Line’s Triton-class ships and P&O Cruises’ Iona,” McNulty explains. “We’re delighted to be working on these prestigious vessels.” CFR