German stainless-steel company Kreative Metallform is one of the leading builders of folding doors and moveable windbreakers for yachts. Here, we talk to founder Peter Joachimmeyer about the company’s rise.
How did you start out in the metalworks industry?
Growing up in difficult circumstances following the early death of my father, I faced numerous challenges. After secondary school, I trained as a car mechanic before pursuing a university education. To finance my studies, I worked as a truck driver and took late shifts as a production assistant. Upon completing my degree, I spent three and a half years working as an engineer at a crafts company, which inspired me to start my own business. In 1997, I established Kreative Metallform in my garage with a startup capital of €17,350.
Even in the early stages, we undertook significant projects. In my garage in Westerstede, near Bremen in Germany, we completed two notable jobs: a four-storey staircase with glass steps for a bookshop and a one-metre-wide, 750-metre-long curved substructure for a car manufacturer’s advertising banner. Two years later, in the summer of 1999, we moved into a new facility with 350 square metres of production space. Notably, in 2003, we manufactured stainless-steel assemblies for a Kuwaiti government building, working long hours due to the imminent second Iraq war.
When did you start building pieces for superyachts?
In 1992, when I visited a shipyard and saw a superyacht under construction, I vowed never to work on such a project! However, this changed in the spring of 2011 when we received a refit order from a subcontractor at a major German yard. We had just moved from 2D to 3D construction when we closed a staircase from the helipad to the winter garden on a 90-metre yacht, with a staircase enclosure to solve the problems with rain and helicopter wind in this area. In 2012, we refitted the sundeck of a 72-metre with glass, relocating the gym to this area.
What are some of your greatest achievements to date?
In 2014, we delivered our first windbreaker for a 73.5-metre superyacht through Hill Robinson. This project required us to develop our first stainless-steel rail system to park the opened windbreaker in a station. With the expansion of the production area from 750 to 1,100 square metres, 2015 marked a significant milestone for us.
Entering the new-build market in that same year, we installed wind protection systems on a 73.5-metre and a 98.4-metre. For the former, we developed another stainless-steel rail system to park the wind protection system in two stations, one behind the other, as well as our first folding door. What makes our sliding wind protection systems so special is that they can accommodate hinged doors in any position. By 2017, we had created stainless-steel gym equipment for the refit of an 80-metre.
Shortly after, we designed, built and assembled 28 complex wind protection systems for a 136-metre in just over a year. The following year, we manufactured and installed stainless-steel railings and moulded parts for the swimming pool on an 85.6-metre and developed a stacking gate for a 142-metre, showcasing the versatility of the projects we undertake. In 2022, the expansion of our production area from 900 to 2,000 square metres, and the addition of an office, truly took KMF to the next level, allowing us to accommodate bigger projects. During this time, we created decorative grids for a 160.6-metre and a 146.3-metre new build, and in 2023 we provided wind protection systems and a staircase canopy for the refit of a 97.2-metre.
Can you share some projects that you are working on today?
We are currently working on two refits (73 and 90 metres) and three new builds (142, 107 and 95 metres). We’re also working on modifying our patented rail system so we can move the sliding elements with electric motors in the future. Furthermore, since 1999, we have continuously trained young people, who regularly graduate at the top of their class. This year, one of our trainees is representing Germany in the World Welding Championships in Shanghai.
Contact Kreative Metallform to get a quote for your superyacht metalworks project.
Sponsored content created for Kreative Metallform