Celebration is in order at RBW Factory with Phase I complete and production from the new facility fully operational!
i4.0 at work
Looking bright in the future office
Lights are on, shelves are stocked, and orders are being fulfilled from our industry 4.0 factory floor! On the other side of the building, walls are going up and our future office space is starting to take shape.
Latis in progress on the factory floor
RBW announces expansion to 100,000 ft² facility in Kingston, New York, and plans to transform the space into a new headquarters for manufacturing and innovation.
Marking a new chapter of growth in its 12th year, this extended New York footprint increases the opportunities to grow RBW's B Corporation commitment to making a positive net impact while continuing with the traditions of innovation and creativity in Upstate New York.
Views of the previous interior
Furniture left by the previous tenant
Building the Factory of the Future continues our vision to deliver a higher quality of light. Designing a space for 8x our current capacity creates the same potential of scale for innovation of product, process and service.
As a creative capital on the rise, Kingston promotes a high quality of life through a vibrant food culture, a growing Arts District and myriad of cultural and outdoor excursions. Its history of traditional manufacturing provides a fertile foundation for innovation-driven industry. In the search for the right space for RBW's creativity and collaboration, deciding factors included the proximity to RBW’s showroom at 50 Greene St in SoHo and the opportunity to join Kingston's future.
Design architect Neil Logan and Kingston-based Dutton Architecture will work to re-envision the sizable building dating from the 1980s and partially unoccupied for decades. Originally built as a part of the prominent IBM campus, the building was once a major driver of the technological sector and growth of Kingston from the 1950s to the 1990s.
The main building of the former IBM campus
A meeting room left untouched for 20 years
Workers assembling components
Our expansion to Kingston is a dream come true for our company and a great opportunity to implement our complete vision for RBW.
Alex Williams
RBW Partner and Director of Growth
Missing ceiling panels reveal the 20 ft ceilings above
Looking into the utility room
Schematic floor plan for the new space
We’ve long been inspired by some of Europe’s most visionary manufacturing campuses that reflect a thoughtful and holistic approach to planning a company’s footprint.
The building’s new design will emphasize its natural surroundings, spotlighting a connection to light and air throughout while maintaining a minimal ecological footprint by repurposing an existing structure. Logan and Dutton’s collaborative design envisions a facility immersed in nature, with a planted latticework on its facade and an interior glass-walled courtyard as the interior centerpiece. The new headquarters will combine all working spaces under one roof, from design and manufacturing to traditional open bench desking and break out spaces promoting collaboration in ideal settings.
To strengthen its position as a design and manufacturing industry innovator, one of RBW’s strategic initiatives is a data-driven Industry 4.0 enterprise. As a part of RIT's Golisano Institute for Sustainability/Research i4.0 pilot program for New York manufacturers, RBW will expand its key capabilities through shop floor automation, strategy and governance, workforce learning and development, and enterprise intelligence. These i4.0 standards follow the growing trends of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technology including ‘cobotic’ systems, cloud and cognitive computing and creating the future of smart factories.
The building’s new design will emphasize its natural surroundings, spotlighting a natural connection to light and air throughout.
Flexible work desk in our Brooklyn Studio
A view of the future open bench desking
As an award-winning, independent design and manufacturing company, RBW is an American brand for a higher quality of light. As a Certified B Corp, RBW’s goal is to expand their status as a leader in the lighting design industry, and make a positive impact on both the planet and community by upholding the highest standards in social and environmental accountability. Meticulously engineered for a broad range of applications, RBW lighting has been installed all over the world, from the renowned Noma restaurant in Copenhagen to Fortune 500 company offices across the United States.