This week Lagoon Catamarans welcomed the new Australian distributor, The Multihull Group, to their impressive facilities located both in Bordeaux for vessels over 50ft and in the Vendee region where vessels under 50ft are produced.
TMG Managing Director John Cowpe and co-founder Peter Hrones have visited many factories around the world and were suitably impressed by their new partner's product, process and warm feeling amongst the team.
Here's what they had to say:
Production
Clean, clean and clean! This is the immediate impact on your senses upon entering the factory – clean floors, clear air and a calm and organised staff. Clearly they have benefitted from many years perfecting the art of production manufacturing, all infused hulls, highly organised processes at every step means a great product in the making. These guys have a huge advantage with the CNB heritage filtering through the skills in composite, glass and finishing to a highly optimised work force.
The Bordeaux plant is a big deal, with five huge halls and more under way whilst the Vendee operation works on a 20hr day and are currently extending their facilities once again. A look into the woodwork department using laser detail cutting, environmentally sensitive “Alpi” engineered woodwork and the ever present happy staff always keen to say “Bonjour” and extend a warm handshake and a smile.
Organised with military precision, staff feedback through daily meetings always striving to deliver the very best and endure their place as the world number one. Lagoon pride themselves on their team made up off many staff who have worked for their entire careers in this company and with a healthy spilt of around 50/50 female to male. “It's all in the detail” one of the female workers imparts with a smile as we walk along.
Design
The enduring relationship with VPLP as the design team behind the Lagoon story is something everyone in the company is proud of. Being at the factory is a great chance to really study the hull form; immediately arresting in their profile, designed for performance whist carrying payload, the superb gull wing under the central bridge deck with has fabulous clearance allows any large swells to be disbursed without the slapping common on other production models. (A great example of this performance under payload was shown in this year's ARC where the fully loaded Lagoon 450 came home clear winner in her class.)
There are many unique identifying characteristics of Lagoon such as the enduring vertical windows allowing more interior volume whist inhibiting the heating of the saloon by not enhancing the rays of the sun. One such unique point was the presence of fully integrated keel foils in the hull moulding – creating a stiff and strong area just where it is needed. I am assured the team at TMG can espouse many, many more unique points around this world leading product but I may need to cut this short and leave it to you to give them a call to find out more…
The Multihull Group are the exclusive distributor for Australian buyers.
Please email info@themultihullgroup.com or go to www.themultihullgroup.com for more details.
