Among architectural building product suppliers, DECO Australia stands out. This family-run enterprise has transformed aluminium aesthetics in Australia using a cutting-edge sublimation process from Italy, and introduced it to the Australian market.
This process, refined and enhanced by DECO, fuses images of natural wood into powdercoated aluminium, creating products that have the natural beauty of timber (or any other image) combined with the durability, recyclability and light weight of aluminium.
Founder and director Ross Doonan, a visionary with a wealth of industry experience, and his daughter Meika set up DECO in 2004, navigating early start-up years and weathering the GFC. Sisters Ella and Clare and Ross’ wife Alison joined them along the way.
The Doonans harnessed the potential of the new technology with their breakthrough product, DecoWood, setting the architectural and building industries alight. Their innovative, high-value timber look aluminium building products now include DecoClad, DecoBatten, DecoSlat and DecoDeck, DecoSplash – decorative kitchen splashbacks, wet area linings, and DecoSign – anti-graffiti signs.
By 2018, DECO had expanded to a 5,000-plus-square-metre site in Minto, NSW, and founded a new arm, DECO Industrial. This venture diversified its portfolio with protective metal coatings and finishing techniques to complement DECO’s ever-expanding architectural range. The site is also home to their NATA-accredited lab, which conducts quality assurance testing for DECO and other businesses. DECO’s onsite Innovation Centre allows customers to experience the full scale of their innovative creations.
Innovation and sustainability have been DECO’s bywords from inception. As strategic director Meika says, “We tap into a market need and recognise where our products and expertise can solve customer problems”.
On the sustainability front, DECO champions aluminium’s recyclability and its role in reducing environmental impacts. Meika emphasises, “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.”
Throughout their journey, general manager Richard Hamber says DECO’s partnership with Capral, a leading supplier of aluminium solutions, has been instrumental. Capral supported DECO from its early days, taking its products nationally. They collaborated in product development, cutting new dies, providing feedback, and advising on stock levels and run quantities. Of their earliest collaborations, Capral’s slats and screening, as well as systems in the DecoWood finish, were a runaway success.
On the sustainability front, Richard adds that Capral’s launch of LocAl - Lower Carbon Aluminium, is a game-changer. LocAl’s two primary aluminium options LocAl Geen and SuperGreen contribute 50 and 75 per cent less carbon emissions than the global average for primary aluminium. In early 2023, DECO made the industry-leading decision to switch all their Capral Aluminium purchases to LocAl Green. Richard asserts, “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 CO2.”
DECO’s Minto site, equipped with powdercoating, pre-treatment, imaging lines, and speciality finishing, is home to 85 highly skilled factory team members. They work across two shifts to deliver high-quality, aesthetically pleasing aluminium building products. Richard remarks, “Our people are highly skilled. It takes a long time to learn the processes we use. We are the market leaders, and very few Australian companies do what we do.” DECO’s sales representatives bring the team to more than 100. As well as talking to DECO customers across Australia daily to find solutions for their projects, the reps’ internal feedback on customer requirements is invaluable for continuing innovation.
“Our products are utilised all over Australia, from remote schools in the Northern Territory to projects in Tasmania. Our products also go to Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Zealand,” Richard says.
“DECO products are used in everything from letterboxes and front fences to large-scale public works, and applications like the Bayview Marina in Darwin, the Channel Nine building in North Sydney. People build chicken coops with our battens.”
Some of Richard’s favourite moments are witnessing the surprise people express when they find out they’re walking on aluminium rather than timber in the Innovation Centre.
“We’ve got something that looks amazing, and it has all of the advantages of aluminium. Our products have all the realism, warmth and beauty of real timber.”
The DECO story is a testament to relentless innovation and a commitment to quality and sustainability. With every product, DECO brings to life the Doonan philosophy of delivering unique, high-quality and high-value aluminium solutions. Backed by Capral’s support and driven by a highly skilled team, DECO Australia continues to revolutionise Australian building products.
