LA MARE: HOUSING ON THE WATER LA MARE: HOUSING ON THE WATER

La Mare, a company from Bydgoszcz, Poland, is a manufacturer of houseboats. Its mission is to provide customers with top-class, tailor-made solutions, which ensure full safety and the highest comfort. Mr. Witold Witkowski, the La Mare’s CEO, speaks with Industry Europe.

What are the origins of La Mare, the company with a history that goes back to 2010?

In its current form the La Mare’s operations started 13 years ago. Initially, before 2010, we were making steamboats powered by wood briquettes. Unfortunately, they were not very popular, and we soon would realise that the age of steam was over. So, we looked for another idea related to water. I managed to observe a certain niche: houseboats, in other words - houses on the water. At that time, there were no luxurious or elegant units in this segment of the market, houseboats were very simple: no comforts, no electricity, no water connection. So, I decided to create a kind of fashion for the houseboating in Europe. Mobile houses are very popular, so why not to promote floating houses? I really wanted to breathe the spirit into this idea. Now I can say with complete confidence that we have succeeded.

What is the La Mare’s current position on the market?

We are absolute no. 1 producer of houseboats in Europe. Comparing to our competitors our annual production is two times bigger. We have all the necessary certificates such as ISO 9001/2015; we employ more than 30 employees and cooperate with hundreds of companies and subcontractors. Currently, we manufacture more than 100 units a year and sell it on all major European markets, actually to all the EU countries. The exports account for 95 per cent of our total sales, with Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Portugal and Scandinavian countries being our most important markets. The company’s annual sales exceeded in 2021 to PLN 41 million (EUR 9 million); in 2022 they were more than PLN 47 million (EUR 10.2 million).

Which houseboat model is the most popular in Poland and among foreign customers? Are there any differences?

The customers’ preferences are rather similar. I would rather divide it into the floating units (with engines) and stationary units. The interest is divided half and half and it depends on individual regulations in different countries. For example, in the UK a vessel such as houseboat cannot have an engine and can’t sail, as the local canals are too small, and the bridges are too low. However, there are favourable tax conditions for living on the water, so many people buy our products as stationary houseboats. At that time, they were a complete novelty in the UK, since the traditional narrow, metal barges had the apartments partially submerged under the line of water. It means that a lot of moisture enters there, which translates into bad smell of the interior and interfere with the comfort of staying in it. This made our houseboats a great hit, people.

live in them even all year around, since they are dry, warm and cosy. I know marinas with more than 20 of our vessels.

The situation in Germany is completely different. There is a need for houseboats with engine, mainly in the vicinity of Berlin. Houseboat charters start in late March, and customers sail usually for 3-7 days. The unit must therefore be energized and existential independent to enable the client live there with no need to any external utilities.

What is behind of the company’s success on the market?

The first and most important thing is to have an idea, then to observe a niche and launch a product. People are the other matter, in two respects. Firstly, the invaluable contribution of our dealers. On their shoulders is to sell our units. We have an extensive dealer network, with more than 10 dealers in Europe. Secondly, the people in the plant, i.e., our employees who perfectly learned the houseboats manufacturing and do it well. Our crew is constant, we rarely say goodbye to anyone. We care about a good working atmosphere.

Observing the market and adapting to the customer’s needs is another factor contributed to our market success. We are open to any proposed solutions and suggestions. Colloquially speaking, we try to fulfil all the customers’ whims. Maybe it slows us down a bit, because there is no longer a serial production, but a search for the best solutions to meet the client’s needs is worth it.

Of course, stubbornness and faith in your vision are also important. The promotion of the La Mare brand, which take place mainly at European fairs, brought us a great success.

Which fairs are the most important for LaMare?

Definitely BOOT World’s Fair Dusseldorf in Germany, but we also take part in regional fairs. I believe that physical presentation of our houses on the water is also the way to success, as this product is not sold from a catalogue. You have to touch it, to step inside, to feel the atmosphere, to check what impression it makes on you.

The best way is to experience it all on the water. That’s why we offer our customers the option to charter a houseboat to able them literally fall in love with the product. Then, the customers often come to us to buy a houseboat for private or investment purposes, as purchasing a houseboat is also a great investment. It pays off much faster than any real estate, in 4-5 years. It has the advantage over yachts that are dedicated only to the summer period, two or three months. The season for houseboats lasts the whole year, as our units are fully prepared for winter conditions: they are insulated, have heating, and double glazing.

What distinguishes La Mare’s offer from its competition?

When we started our business, there was a little competition, mainly in Germany. Currently, Poland’s companies are our main competitors. They have, like us, a very attractive price offer. However, an attractive price is not everything for us. A very good quality of the product is a must, and we offer it; we combine a good price with a great quality. The rightness of this direction is confirmed by the fact that our products are often copied. Even recently we have won a court case for infringement of our intellectual property.

La Mare is constantly developing, working on new models, expanding its offer, which also increases our competitiveness. We provide a 2-year service throughout Europe.

How long does the production process take?

It takes about 3 months. We are able to produce about 20 houseboats at one time, monthly appr. seven units. For a client the waiting period is from four to six months, since before the production starts, the time is needed for ordering all the necessary components.

Have you made recently any investments to increase the company’s production capacity and its competitiveness?

For the last four years, our annual production has increased more than 100 per cent. Hardly any company is able to get out of it unscathed, to cope with the excess of orders. Fortunately, we made it. Three years ago, I introduced the company’s branches in various towns, where we organized the production. From 2023 we have been developing and expanding the production in the parent company, in Bydgoszcz. Even as we speak, an additional hall of 1000m2 is growing, which is due to open in July this year. We have also permission to build another hall, 600m2, and a port with a crane, partially subsidized from Norwegian funds.

We are near the production of a unit completely independent of external media, external energy sources and municipal connections. So far, waste has been pumped to an external network, and we came up with an in-built sewage treatment, which is powered by five stationary houseboats. Now we are working on a treatment microplant that would be installed individually for a given unit.

We are also in a process to invent river/lake water filters so that you do not have to connect to the municipal network. It is also worth mentioning that we are the only company in the world to start the production of floating houses in a metal structure. We are planning to launch a metal module factory, which would give us the opportunity to produce land houses.

What is your vision of the company’s further development?

In the next three years, we should like to improve the company’s profit. We need to take full advantage of the new processing capacity that will appear on the occasion of the completion of the two previously mentioned halls. We are also thinking about introducing two-story units or small hotel buildings on water. Our plan includes the enter to two new markets: USA and Middle East. n

Visit: https://lamare.pl

New developments in the Consumer Goods

Dematic Delivers Enhanced Processes for Spanish Third-Party Logistics Operator Factor 5

Third-partylogistics operator Factor 5 recently commissioned a goods-to-person solution featuring an AutoStore™ automated storage and picking system provided by intelligent automation solution provider Dematic. The solution enhances its order process for perfumes and cosmetics products with the aim of boosting sales and strengthening its ability to compete in the long term. The solution went live this past March at Factor 5’s Alovera site northeast of Madrid.

Headquartered in Spain’s mid-section in Guadalajara, with 2,000 employees and over 400,000 square meter of warehouse space, Factor 5 is one of Spain’s leading third-party logistics operators.

According to Maria de Jesús, the Supply Chain director at Factor 5, Dematic was selected for its flexibility, global reach and reliability. “We wanted an international technology partner who could offer us a selection of solutions that meet the needs of customers looking to transform their supply chains and looking for increasingly efficient and scalable logistics operations to reduce costs and accommodate growth of online sales. And we wanted a solid service partner who would be there for us to support our own growth projections for the coming years.”

Factor 5 opted for a modular automation solution from Dematic, which features a high-performance storage system that is easily scalable, has very low energy consumption and provides excellent inventory security. The solution significantly reduces the amount of space required for storage and improves order preparation process times. The project got underway in March 2022 and was completed in just under 12 months.

Dematic Software manages and runs the entire automated system. The AutoStore™ automated storage and picking system includes nearly 4,400 containers for storage and seven R5 robots for collecting and delivering the containers with the requested items to one of five workstations where operators collect the items to complete orders. The goods-to-person concept is anticipated to substantially increase productivity as Factor 5 employees no longer need to cover long distances to collect individual order items.

“Our goal has been twofold with this project. Of course, we wanted to deliver a robust solution to Factor 5 that meets their requirements from top to bottom, but we also wanted to establish a strong relationship with them that provides added value where they view Dematic as a reliable technology partner for the long term”, explains Sonia Bello, Sales Director at Dematic Iberia.

Santiago de Vicente, CEO at Factor 5, states, “We are convinced that the Dematic solution perfectly meets our business needs, and as we face an increasingly complex market, Dematic can provide advanced and structured technology solutions to support our company’s growth and development in the years to come.” are typically used for volume production. Importantly, they come at a mid-market price point, yet there is no compromise on build quality or functionality.

Leading UK packaging specialist Xact is set to expand into new markets with state-of-the-art, multiformat packaging machines supplied by Spanish packaging technology innovator IRTA Group Packaging under a new partnership to help brands and retailers “future-proof” their packaging processes.

The two businesses, each with over 30 years market experience, have joined forces to bring two new Vertical Form Fill sealing machines (VFFS) to the UK for the first time, both of which are capable of handling different packaging sizes, formats and materials.

The IRTA VX STB DOY is a multiformat bag packaging machine, which can create the five most common, vertical pack shapes: Doy, pillow, envelope, block bottom, plus four and five seals. It can handle up to 100 bags per minute and is adaptable to any product type, making it perfect for contract packers who need the ability to switch rapidly between products and packaging types.

The IRTA TR is a hygienic, vertical multiformat unit particularly developed with frozen food in mind. Handling up to 150 packs per minute and 100% washable, it is perfect for everything from frozen fruit and vegetables to meat and fish.

Both machines boast low energy consumption, teamed with high efficiency and multi-functionality, including the ability to work with different packaging materials from heat sealable paper to PE and recyclable/recycled materials, while using less material than more common HFFS (Horizontal Form Fill) machines that

Paul Bennion, Xact Director, explains why the new partnership is important and the benefits it will bring to the food industry: “The UK market is increasingly competitive, meaning retailers have ever-changing demands in terms of products and packaging formats. The two new IRTA machines offer extensive functionality and flexibility to help businesses future-proof packaging production to meet those requirements.

“Xact has been the leader in net packaging for the fresh produce market for the past 30 years and these two innovative packaging machines not only allow us to expand, but also meet the diverse needs of businesses catering to very different requirements from their customers.

“We’re looking particularly to the nuts, dried fruit and snacks market, frozen food and contract packaging companies that need the ability to easily switch between product lines. Our partnership with IRTA to supply these two new machines, enables us to do that.”

Raquel Hidalgo, IRTA Group Packaging’s International Sales and Distributor Networking Manager, adds: “IRTA is going through an ambitious expansion process. We have supplied different machines in the past to the UK for the ice industry and now we need to consolidate our presence in the UK food industry. To do that we wanted to partner with a reputable UK company with good market knowledge, which is why we chose Xact.

“Both our VFFS machines and packaging solutions are an excellent fit with Xact’s profile…and will enable us to build a strong brand name in the UK food industry.”

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