The Lego Group has opened its first dedicated global manufacturing innovation centre in Billund, Denmark, as it invests in new production technologies and product development.
The Kornmarken Campus brings together around 1,800 colleagues across engineering, quality and manufacturing, who will develop, test and scale new manufacturing processes for Lego products.
The 47,000 sq m campus sits alongside the toy giant’s legacy factory, creating a 100,000 sq m facility in the town where Lego was founded 94 years ago.
The company said the site will help speed up the movement of new ideas from early concept through to global production, while continuing to manufacture Lego bricks.
Lego Group chief executive Niels B Christiansen said: “Kornmarken Campus strengthens the Lego Group’s foundation for future growth.
“By bringing all aspects of manufacturing innovation together in one location, we can speed up how new ideas move from concept to reality in our global operations network.”
The new campus includes a Test and Innovation Centre, where teams will work on new Lego elements, moulds, moulding techniques, processing and packaging.
It also features a Materials Lab focused on more sustainable raw materials, including alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastics, and an Additive Manufacturing Centre for 3D manufacturing work.
A Training Academy will support apprentices in plastic making and tool making, while the site will also house mould manufacturing for new product concepts and launches.
Lego Group chief operations officer Carsten Rasmussen said: “The Lego Group has among the most talented engineers and craftspeople in the world.
“This facility will provide them with the necessary tools and technologies to expand what’s possible for product development and production, both now and in the future.”
The campus has been designed to reflect Lego’s manufacturing heritage and long-term focus on skills, with shared workspaces, learning facilities and wellbeing areas.
Features include a 25-tonne red 2×4 Lego brick installation and historic moulds, linking the company’s engineering past with its future product innovation.
Sustainability has also been built into the project, with Lego aiming for LEED Platinum certification.
The building includes energy-efficient systems, renewable energy supply, rainwater management and measures designed to support biodiversity and a healthier indoor environment.
Its 22,000 sq m mass timber construction is intended to reduce the building’s environmental footprint by locking carbon into the structure.
A nearby 4 MW solar park will help power the campus, while Lego is also building a new 80 to 100 MW solar park which, once completed, will be able to match 100 per cent of the company’s total energy consumption in Billund.
Later this year, the campus will open a Sustainability Play Lab, where schoolchildren and visitors will be able to learn more about Lego’s work on more sustainable materials.
The opening was marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Billund mayor Stephanie Storbank, national and local business leaders, design partners and senior Lego executives.
Lego said the campus forms part of its continued investment in Billund as its global headquarters and a centre for manufacturing innovation.
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