The Lego Group has opened its first global manufacturing innovation centre in Billund. The new Kornmarken Campus brings together the development, testing, and scaling of new production technologies in one location. A key focus is also on the development of new packaging processes and sustainable materials.
The new 47,000 square metre building and the adjacent existing production facility will create a total manufacturing and innovation site of around 100,000 square metres. Approximately 1,800 employees from the fields of engineering, quality assurance, and production will develop new manufacturing technologies there and prepare them for worldwide use in the Lego factories. Production of Lego bricks will continue at the site in parallel.
According to Niels B. Christiansen, Chief Executive Officer of the Lego Group, the Kornmarken Campus strengthens the company's foundation for future growth. „The Kornmarken Campus strengthens the Lego Group's foundation for future growth. By bringing together all areas of manufacturing innovation in one location, we can more quickly move new ideas from concept to execution within our global production network,“ he said.
Packaging is part of the development platform
The Kornmarken Campus includes, among other things, a test and innovation centre, a materials laboratory, a centre for additive manufacturing, a training academy, and tool manufacturing. According to the company, new Lego elements, production processes and technologies for mould making, injection moulding, further processing, and packaging are developed, tested, and scaled for use in global plants at the test and innovation centre.
In the materials laboratory, Lego is also researching alternative raw materials with a reduced use of fossil plastics. In addition, modern 3D manufacturing processes in the Additive Manufacturing Centre are intended to accelerate the development of new production concepts.
Investment in future manufacturing technologies
The new campus is intended to support both training and the development of specialist skills for production. To this end, training programmes for toolmakers and plastics technicians, among others, will be consolidated at one location. The building is also designed for collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Chief Operations Officer Carsten Rasmussen emphasised the importance of the new facility for the further development of production: „The Lego Group has some of the most talented engineers and craftspeople in the world. This facility provides them with the tools and technologies to further expand the possibilities of product development and production – today and in the future.“
Source: Lego
