Renson starts construction of brand new Outdoor Experience Center along E17

The international reference for total garden experience

In industrial zone de Prijkels along the E17 (Deinze / Nazareth / Kruisem), Paul Renson (CEO Renson) today gave the first spit for the construction works of the brand new Outdoor Experience Center, Renson's 'outdoor living' flagship that should be fully operational by 2021. It should become the international reference for total garden experience.

Just in its jubilee year 2019 - Renson is blowing out 110 candles this year - in the Prijkels the construction works will start of the brand new 'Outdoor Living' department of the specialist in ventilation, sun protection and 'outdoor living'. On the territory of Kruisem and Nazareth, Renson is thus building a new branch right next to the E17 freeway, just like the headquarters in Waregem. It will house production, offices, test and training centers and a showroom for the group's youngest but fastest growing 'outdoor living' department.

International calling card ... yet locally rooted
Paul Renson (CEO Renson): "Renson exists 110 years this year and in all that time it has grown into a group with brands such as argenta, ROB, Albo, eSafe, Open Motics and Corradi under its wings. Nevertheless, the baseline 'Creating Healthy Spaces' remains the common thread for Renson as a brand: with our natural solutions in the areas of ventilation, sunprotection and outdoor living, we want to ensure that everyone can live healthily and comfortably, indoors and outdoors. Innovation is ingrained in the DNA of our family business. With 75% of our growth from recent innovations, we are proving it in practice. 'No speed limit on innovation' is how we like to call it."

Still according to Paul Renson, it is a conscious choice not to produce abroad, but rather to invest locally. "This is a hugely dynamic region, with very driven, talented people who want to help put their backs into the development and production of our innovative solutions. It is thanks to them that we can continue to offer the quality we have always strived for across our entire product range. We want to be able to use the knowledge and know-how we have here optimally to continue to innovate for a healthy indoor climate and comfortable outdoor living."

NOA: Renson + partners
"With this unique project, we want to become the international reference for total garden experience," Dieter Heyman (Business Unit Manager Outdoor Renson) clarifies the ambitions behind the new site in the Prijkels. "Due to the rapid growth of that department, we were in need of production expansion anyway. And so by 2021, Renson's entire 'Outdoor Living' business will move here. From terrace coverings to carports, wall cladding, garden walls, garden lighting and other designer garden elements: they will all roll off the production line here. But there is also room for a test center, training facilities, offices and a showroom of no less than 10,000 m². By the way, we will not fill that showroom alone. We will do this together with other players of high-quality outdoor products such as garden furniture, Jacuzzis, outdoor kitchens, garden lighting, ... Just to immerse visitors in a dream world where all elements in the garden are perfectly attuned to each other. In short: a total garden experience, which in time will also be available on www.noa-outdoor.com, the website where until then the follow-up of the construction project can be followed."

Garden pavilion XXL along the highway
"The whole design of this new Renson branch in the Prijkels was also effectively developed from the 'outdoor living' experience behind it," Luc Binst (CEO Binst Architects) explains the design in more detail. "That gave us the idea to design the building - with an impressive length of 300m - as a 'garden pavilion XXL' along the highway. Both offices, and production and showroom are integrated into that pavilion facade and so the link is quickly made to what is being made and sold behind that facade. Moreover, the very light and horizontal architecture along the highway incorporates both Renson's own facade elements, as well as natural elements, which further strengthen the overall story around 'outdoor living'."

Industry 4.0: standardization in customization
"Renson is strongly committed to digitalization," said Dieter Heyman. "Not only do we want to develop smart solutions for our end customers, but at the same time we want to digitize our internal processes in order to be able to communicate even better and cooperate efficiently with our various stakeholders in the future. A first step in this is the 'Sunrise' project, the new ERP package (SAP) that will be implemented in parallel with the new site in the Prijkels. We are also strongly committed to the automation of production processes so that we can produce more efficiently and maintain our competitive position against foreign countries. Intelligent machinery will ensure an optimal production flow in this new production site so that we can maximize the added value of the people on the shop floor there. There will be an automatic high-bay warehouse to store profiles and a specially designed, computer-controlled production line ("aorta") to assemble parts into custom orders efficiently and according to our high quality standards. That customization is the focus for Renson for the future: by being able to standardize that operationally, we can further differentiate ourselves. 'Standardization in customization' is what we call it."

Outdoor Experience Center in figures (www.noa-outdoor.com):

• Total area Renson site: 10hA
• Total built area: 65,000m² (production: 50,000m² / Experience Center: 15,000m² (of which 10,000m² showroom and 5,000m² offices). Possible later expansion of 35,000m² is possible).
• Number of jobs on site (in different phases): 100 laborers and 50 white-collar workers at site startup in 2021, 250 FTEs in total within 5 years (including 150 new hires).
• Investment: 75 mio Euro
• 2021: completion of full site