Thales Alenia Space has embraced a new concept, a FabLab, that they perceive as a win-win for both company and employee whereby their employees benefit by fostering their inventiveness to result in developing new inventions, solutions and technologies. 

Revealing FabLab

Thales explained their plans as, "To permit innovation continuous growth in the heart of its strategy and in the straightway of its Digital Transformation and Industry 4.0, Thales Alenia Space is now implementing a FabLab approach to match the industrial disruption in space industry."

A FabLab is a digital incubator, accessible to all the employees, with free access dedicated to boost creativity and innovation through simulation and prototyping while complementing the current industrial organization by connecting people and activities.

After the first FabLab already put in place in Toulouse, Thales Alenia Space presented a new FabLab in Rome facilities with the visit of Nicola Zingaretti, the current Italian president of Lazio.

The FabLab in Rome is a fast prototyping laboratory open to all employees to foster their inventiveness in order to develop new inventions, solutions and technologies. The Lab is providing fast prototyping means, in both hardware and software domains, it is also and foremost a place for sharing and exchanges.

It is organized in four different areas: Brainstorming area, Fabrication area, Augmented Realty area and Digital Area. It is open for any activities, whether professional or personal, aiming at prototyping, experimenting, testing, simulating, materializing ideas.

The main expectations from the FabLab are the development of new technologies, as brand-new solutions proof-of-concepts, the applications and on-field user’s needs evaluation to derive and drive system requirements and stimulate the integrated team working to strengthen the
employees relationship through sharing of free time moments. Thales believes it is a great mean to deeply spread the digital and new technological knowhow within the company.

Continuing in this same concept with Thales Alenia Space Innovation Cluster spirit, the FabLab is also open to the collaboration with Universities, Research Centres, SME and will be oriented to the development of innovative solutions and Research programs, as well as to the training activities.

Additional FabLabs are planned to be opened in other Thales Alenia Space plants in a near future.