The ground-breaking ceremony for the new Limburg Logistics Campus took place on Monday on the former Ford site in Genk. The Diamond Gate project is the final major phase in the redevelopment of the old car factory, which closed for good at the end of 2014. The site will be home to a campus where businesses, researchers and public authorities will collaborate on logistics innovation.
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Final phase of new life for Ford Genk gets under way
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Where cars once rolled off the production line, the site has developed into a logistics hub with distribution centres, transport companies and manufacturing activities. The new campus is intended to further strengthen the logistics sector in Limburg.
“Our region lies at a strategic crossroads between the seaports and the European hinterland,” says Tom Vandeput, provincial executive member for Economic Affairs. “By bringing together businesses, knowledge institutions and public authorities, we are preparing the sector for the future.”
Mayor Wim Dries also sees the project as a new step in the redevelopment of the Ford site. “Where thousands of people once worked in the automotive industry, we are now building the economy of tomorrow,” he says.
The most striking feature of the project will be a new gateway building along Henry Fordlaan, close to the Albert Canal and the E313 and E314 motorways. The building will house offices, a restaurant and the coordination centre for the Limburg Logistics Campus. It will have eight storeys and a roof terrace offering views across the site.
Where thousands of people once worked in the automotive industry, we are now building the economy of tomorrow
The central part of the campus will house a UHasselt laboratory. Research will be carried out there into ergonomics and productivity in warehouses, and there will be work and meeting spaces.
The development is being carried out by a consortium of the Limburg companies Group Machiels and H.Essers, which have been active on the site for some time. Work is set to begin this year, with completion scheduled for 2028.