Deco aesthetic aluminium goes green

Sydney architectural building product suppliers, DECO Australia has thrived by transforming aluminium aesthetics in Australia using a cutting-edge sublimation process from Italy,.

Introduced to the Australian market by Founder and Director Ross Doonan, the process fuses images of natural wood into powder-coated aluminium, creating products that look like timber combined with the durability, recyclability and lightweight of aluminium.

Ross and daughter Meika set up DECO in 2004, navigating early start-up years and weathering the GFC, with sisters Ella and Clare and Ross’ wife Alison joining the family business later.

Strategic Director Meika Doonan said: “We can create the look and the effect of timber without chopping down forests.

“People don’t realise how easily and efficiently industry can recycle aluminium or how much aluminium stays in the system.”

The Doonans breakthrough product, DecoWood was followed by DecoClad, DecoBatten, DecoSlat and DecoDeck, DecoSplash – decorative kitchen splashbacks – and DecoSign – anti-graffiti signs.

By 2018, DECO had expanded to a 5,000 square-metre site in Minto, NSW, and founded a new arm, DECO Industrial.

Meika Doonan said: “We tap into a market need and recognise where our products and expertise can solve customer problems.”

General Manager Richard Hamber said that the company had switched their purchases from supplier Capral Aluminium to lower emission LocAl Green.

Richard said: “Capral supplies most of our aluminium, so by switching to the LocAl product, we have reduced the emissions associated with our primary aluminium by half.

“In fact, in the first three months, this simple switch to LocAL Green has seen us save the equivalent of one million kilograms of C02.”

Further reading:
Capral to offer Australian low emission aluminium products

Picture: supplied