The sales, services, and marketing teams from Cinionic – Barco’s cinema joint venture – are now brought together with Barco’s cinema manufacturing and engineering departments at one location in Kortrijk (Belgium). With a focus on automation and innovative technologies, Barco’s brand-new and state-of-the-art production facility “The Engine” is geared to create the cinema projectors of the future, both in terms of volume and technology.
Where Barco cinema projectors are born
At “The Engine,” Barco builds its cinema projectors, lamp-based but primarily laser illumination-based projectors. The different laser technologies like RGB and laser phosphor are manufactured, assembled, and tuned there to match the best light performance possible. This includes the laser retrofit engines that allow exhibitors to upgrade their lamp projectors with smart laser technology.
Flexibility for the future
Bringing 250 people to Barco’s One Campus in Kortrijk, the production facility covers 15,000 sqm (161,458.66 sqft) in total, including 1,500 sqm (16,145.87 sqft) state-of-the-art clean rooms. Focused on operational excellence, automation, and quality, the manufacturing site increases efficiency and allows for more flexibility and faster turnaround time. The new flow shortens production lines as the different steps are brought closer to each other.
“Thanks to “The Engine,” we are ready for the upcoming demand, bringing the next wave of cinema technology to our exhibitors to deliver at their request. The close cooperation between engineering and manufacturing at the new facility results in better products,” said Wim Buyens, CEO of Cinionic.
Focus on quality
The Engine features an investment in a multimillion-dollar clean room where Barco makes its sealed optical engines. This patented engine cooling is a hallmark of Barco cinema projectors. Thanks to the patented sealed enclosure, no contamination can affect the optics of the DLP cinema chips, which guarantees undiminished brightness and contrast. These high-quality optics guarantee a flawless image quality for a stunning movie experience.
Clever way of working
The core of the Factory of the Future is a clever way of working that encompasses different pillars. This includes digitally connecting employees and systems worldwide as well as automating the warehouse (fully operational beginning 2019) and key assembly activities.
“The new site, and accompanying infrastructure, is a major step-up of our manufacturing capabilities and helps us respond quickly to new market trends,” says Filip Deruijck, Barco’s VP Operations Belgium. “The design of the manufacturing floor, for example, is flexible and multifunctional. Through automation and innovation, we can shorten lead times and increase production. It’s how we can keep delivery times short and produce cost-effectively.”
About Cinionic
Cinionic is transforming cinema, providing comprehensive WOW entertainment solutions to movie exhibitors across the globe. We help turn imagination into reality and ensure peace of mind for our customers by offering innovative services and flexible use of capital for a new era. Combining the technology expertise and heritage of our partners, Cinionic powers exceptional experiences across the entire theater to engage visitors at multiple touchpoints in their cinema journey.
Cinionic is a joint venture among Barco, Appotronics, and CFG, with offices in the United States, Belgium, Hong Kong and Mexico; the legal entity is planned to take effect mid-2018. Visit www.cinionic.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube for more info.
About Barco
Barco designs technology to enable bright outcomes around the world. Seeing beyond the image, we develop sight, sound, and sharing solutions to help you work together, share insights, and wow audiences. Our focus is on three core markets: Enterprise (from meeting and control rooms to corporate spaces), Healthcare (from the radiology department to the operating room), and Entertainment (from movie theaters to live events and attractions). In 2016, we realized sales of 1.102 billion euro. We have a team of 3,500 employees, located in 90 countries, whose passion for technology is captured in 400 granted patents.
For more information, visit us on www.barco.com, follow us on Twitter (@Barco), LinkedIn(Barco), YouTube (BarcoTV), or like us on Facebook (Barco).