In the past few years, robotics providers have expanded headquarters, consolidated operations, and brought trade-show exhibits in-house to facilitate innovation and the customer experience. Exotec SAS this week opened the “Imaginarium,” its new headquarters in Wasquehal, France.
Designed as a central innovation and industrial hub, the 25,000-sq.-m (269,097.7-sq.-ft.) Imaginarium brings research, development, production, and operations together within a single site. It will support company growth, said the warehouse automation supplier.
“Imaginarium represents a major technological and industrial investment,” stated Romain Moulin, CEO and co-founder of Exotec. “By bringing R&D, production and operations together within our headquarters, we strengthen our ability to develop robust, scalable solutions closely aligned with our customers’ requirements.”
The new headquarters near Lille brings together more than 700 employees across engineering, product, and support functions. Exotec said this is part of its strategy to develop and manufacture its systems in Europe while serving customers worldwide.
The opening was part of the company’s first Exosummit, an event for customers, partners, investors, and other industry leaders to explore technologies for the future of intralogistics.
Imaginarium is a long-term industrial investment
Exotec developed its new headquarters with BMG Group under a 12-year forward-funded lease agreement (BEFA) signed in 2022. It is organized around a central space that optimizes proximity and collaboration between teams involved in research, development, production, and operations.
R&D and production play a central role within the Imaginarium. The site includes an 8,560-sq.-m (92,139-sq.-ft.) area with 11 operational Exotec systems. They will be used for manufacturing, system testing, validation, and the continuous improvement of both software and hardware.
“Imaginarium reflects our commitment to build in Europe and our decision to invest for the long term,” said Renaud Heitz, co-founder and chief technology officer of Exotec. “This headquarters has been designed to support Exotec’s technological roadmap and industrial ambitions over time, while remaining firmly anchored in our local environment.”
Exotec expects to continue global expansion
The Imaginarium will serve as a hub for teams across Exotec’s global organization, supporting its continued international expansion. The company said its new headquarters will host regular team trainings and seminars, enabling closer collaboration as it scales worldwide.
In recent years, Exotec expanded its global footprint with offices in Atlanta, Munich, Tokyo, and Seoul to support its rapidly growing international customer base. It recently announced its first customer project in South Korea with MUSINSA and additional sites with long-standing client Renault Group in Central Europe.
“As Exotec continues to grow, Imaginarium is positioned as a long-term industrial and innovation hub supporting the next generation of the company’s robotic solutions and global customer projects,” said the company.
Exotec recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, noting that its Skypod system is used at more than 200 customer sites worldwide. The company last year released a study that found that nearly half of workers reported pay increases thanks to automation.