Kortrijk, Belgium, 27 May 2016 – Barco looks to the future with confidence: today, the global technology leader will cut the ribbon to officially open its brand-new headquarters in Belgium. Located at the Beneluxpark in Kortrijk, the 230,000 m2 ‘One Campus’ is a true landmark for the region – an all-glass, circular building surrounded by green spaces and connected to three other state-of-the-art Barco facilities. The campus will not only be the new home to Barco’s 1,250 Belgian employees but will also serve as an open house for customers, partners, foreign colleagues and other stakeholders. One Campus marks also a new way of working, centered around dialogue, collaboration and, consequently, innovation. Barco is convinced that its new operating base will be of great support in the future evolution of the company.
A constant quest for innovation and the flexibility to reshape its business to meet the changing market needs: these have always been key to the success of Barco, throughout its over 80-year history. In the past few years, the company has proven to be a focused, lean and truly global technology leader. Building a new campus that unites all its Belgian employees under one roof, perfectly fits Barco’s ambition to further strengthen its growth in its three core markets - Enterprise, Entertainment and Healthcare.
One Campus = One Barco
The new One Campus, which replaces Barco’s older premises in Kuurne and Kortrijk, includes 48,000m2 of general facilities, surrounded by a pond and grass. Standing proudly, at the heart of the campus, is The Circle, which is connected to the Lab (the R&D and test-unit), the Pulse and The Engine (the production facility), by a footbridge, to stress the campus feeling. The Circle comprises airy, flexible office areas, R&D offices and test areas, a multipurpose auditorium (170 seats), a training center, a three-tier meeting deck and an atrium that features a first-class company restaurant. The showpiece of The Circle, however, is the Barco Experience Center, which is equipped with Barco’s most advanced visualization solutions. Here, customers, business partners and other visitors will discover the connected world of Barco.
Encouraging dialogue and collaboration
One Campus is, more than just a new building, a completely new way of working. Barco strongly believes that people perform to their best and feel inspired when they can easily get together and have the flexibility to work where and how they want. So it set up an open-plan building with various working ‘scenes’, like social hubs, home and interaction zones, ‘bubbles’, etc. By combining this smart, flexible workplace with some great campus facilities like a good restaurant and coffee bar, delivery of online shopping orders, green areas, etc., Barco hopes to retain and attract the talents that can help it move forward for a successful future.
Reflecting all our company values
“Barco has worked hard, over the past few years, to evolve into a global technology leader. Our seven corporate values serve as a guide to help us achieve our objectives. One Campus breathes each and every one of these core values: teamwork, openness, trust, innovation, etc. I’m really delighted about this exciting, new home for the Barco family and will be so proud to welcome all of our colleagues from abroad, customers, business partners and other stakeholders here,” says CEO Eric Van Zele.
Royal visit + Ring the Bell
Barco will celebrate the official inauguration of its One Campus today, 27 May, in the presence of King Philippe of Belgium. After the official ribbon-cutting ceremony, King Philippe will visit the Barco Experience Center and have a round-table discussion with a delegation of Flemish industry representatives. Moreover, a delegation of Barco employees will open the Euronext market with the opening bell-ceremony this morning at 9:00h at the new campus.
From 1 June onwards, all 1,250 Belgian Barco employees will be working at the new One Campus.
About Barco
Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops networked visualization products for the Entertainment, Enterprise and Healthcare markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and APAC. Barco (NYSE Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries with 3,300 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 1.029 billion euro in 2015.
For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.barco.com
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