The foundation stone for FacThory, a multifunctional building that will house a production centre, laboratories and offices, was laid this week on the former mining site in Genk, now known as Thor Park.
The construction, which is set to cost €26.2 million, is the first part of a vast “intelligent” campus intended as a "modular production environment for smart manufacturing companies" that will extend over 93 hectares of the mining site. Eventually, some 5,500 jobs should be created on the site.
The building itself will have a surface area of 30,000 m2 over three levels. The first phase — which will see 3,500 m2 being dedicated to a production hall, 1,000 m2 for lab and test space, and 3,500 m2 for office space — is to be completed by the end of 2023.
In addition to the building, Thor Park will invest in machines and equipment to offer pilot and contract manufacturing services.
A visual representation of what the inside of the building will look like. Credit: Thor Park
It is hoped the building will be the new base for both developing and established companies to develop and test automation, digitalisation and robotisation processes tailored to the needs of the manufacturing industry.
"By bringing different types of companies together, they can use each other’s expertise to improve their own product," the developer behind the project noted.
"Tech companies can use the machines on the production floor to showcase their technology, while production companies can use the knowledge of process experts and implement technology from the start of their production to improve their productivity."
