Decathlon R&D
Description
Damien Fournet, R&D laboratory manager specialising in "body & mind research" at Decathlon in Villeneuve-d'Ascq in France, tells us about the Decathlon's products and philosophy. We are welcomed in a meeting room of the shop in Ghent by the manager Julien De Brouwer.
Innovation and innovation is Decathlon's core mission.
It puts the user of sports products at the centre of its innovation. And the entire organisation is permanently involved in this. Products such as the "2-second tent", for example, have been developed from customer needs.
The innovation circle - in which engineering and R&D have an important role - consists of the following steps: 1. Sales teams and brands with passion; 2. R&D; 3.Design and prototype; 4. Test laboratory; 5. Manufacturing 6. Customer opinion.
At the R&D centre on the Decathlon Campus in Villeneuve d`Ascq, researchers in collaboration with universities study the human body during exercise on a laboratory scale. Here, attention is paid to a number of factors such as skin temperature, heat and cold tolerance, nutrient requirements, optimal vision and/or sun protection. The guiding principle is to ensure the safety and well-being of customers.
Decathlon has a total of more than 65 000 employees.
- R&D: 530 engineers, 50 researchers.
- Design and prototype department (realisation of the innovation): 150 designers. 3,000 prototypes per year.
- Taking care of production in France and abroad: 2,600 people
In the Netherlands, there are shops in Amsterdam Arena, Leeuwarden, Apeldoorn, Best, Breda, Kerkrade.
As a participant in the presentation, you are asked to provide your feedback and comments from the perspective of engineering
on Decathlon products that you know from your own experience in advance when registering.
The shop will be open from 09.00 to 19.30.
This will allow you to visit the shop prior to the lecture to see the products.
Speaker(s)
Damien Fournet
Location
Vliegtuiglaan 8, B - 9000 Ghent
Organiser
Zeeland region
Name and contact details for information
Bram Dees