Barco

Barco is an acronym that originally stood for Belgian American Radio Corporation. Barco was founded in 1934 in the town of Poperinge, in the Flemish-speaking region of Belgium. Founder Lucien de Puydt's initial business was to assemble radios from parts imported from the United States – hence the name of his company, the Belgium American Radio Corporation, or "Barco".

Radio pioneer Camiel Descamps gave the company a new start in 1941 in Kortrijk after founder Lucien Depuydt died. His wife, Maria-Anna Reyntjens, and his brother-in-law Joseph Versavel assisted him. Later on, also Elie Timmerman joined them.

In 1949, Barco started developing a multi-standard television that accepted different signal standards. A jukebox called Barc-O-Matic was sold from 1951. In 1967, it was one of the first European companies to introduce color TV. Building on this, it then entered the professional broadcast market in the late 1960s, supplying TV monitors to broadcasters.

From the 1960s onwards, Barco branched out into numerous other activities, which included mechanical components for industrial use and quality control monitoring for the textile and plastics industries. In 1967, Barco became the first European manufacturer to produce transistor-based portable televisions.

In 2018, Barco collaborated with China Film Group Corporation (CFGC), Appotronics, and CITICPE to commercialize each company's products and services. In Barco's case, this involved the company's cinema projectors.

In 2024, Barco underwent a leadership transition with An Steegen assuming the sole CEO role, succeeding the dual-CEO structure previously held with Charles Beauduin. During this period, the company focused on expanding its manufacturing footprint, opening a new factory in Wuxi, China in May 2024.

Sustainability

In 2025, Barco reported a 61% reduction in absolute carbon emissions compared to its 2015 baseline. This surpassed the company’s original 2025 target of 45%. The company has since committed to new SBTi-approved targets for 2030, which include a 25% reduction in Scope 3 emissions and a supplier engagement program requiring 30% of its key suppliers to set their own science-based targets.

In 2025, Barco was recognized by The Financial Times and Statista as one of Europe's Climate Leaders and by Time Magazine and Statista as one of the world's most sustainable companies for the second consecutive year.

Entertainment: theaters, immersive experiences

Enterprise: control rooms, meeting rooms

Healthcare: diagnostic imaging, digital operating room

In 1989, Barco acquired EMT, a manufacturer of phonograph turntables and professional audio equipment, which became Barco-EMT.

Barco Graphics was the graphics division of the Belgian Barco Group. It was the result of the 1989 merger of Digitized Information Systems Corporation (D.I.S.C.), Aesthedes and Barco's own "Creative Systems" group.

In 1995, Barco acquired Elbicon, a manufacturer of inspection systems for the food processing industry.

In 1997, Barco acquired Electronic Image Systems (EIS), a manufacturer of CRT projectors for the flight simulation market.