Global toy manufacturer of the iconic and beloved LEGO® brick to invest more than $1 billion in 1.7 million-square-foot precision manufacturing plant creating over 1,760 new jobs
The LEGO Group today announced plans to invest more than US$1 billion to build a new factory in Meadowville Technology Park in Chesterfield, Virginia. Once completed, the 1.7 million square foot (160,000m2 ) facility will employ more than 1,760 people.
The factory will be designed to operate as a carbon-neutral facility. One hundred percent of its day-to-day energy needs will be matched by renewable energy generated by an onsite solar park. The site will also be designed to minimize energy consumption and use of non-renewable resources.
Rendering of the LEGO Group Facility in Meadowville Technology Park
Niels B. Christiansen, CEO, the LEGO Group said: “This is an exciting step for the LEGO Group. More and more families are falling in love with LEGO® building and we are looking forward to making LEGO bricks in the US, one of our largest markets. The location in Virginia allows us to build a solar park which supports our sustainability ambitions and provides easy links to country-wide transportation networks. We are also looking forward to creating fantastic employment opportunities for the people of Virginia.”
Construction will commence in fall 2022 with production projected to start in the second half of 2025. A temporary packaging site will open in an existing building nearby in early 2024 and create up to 500 jobs.
Rendering of the Entrance to the LEGO Group Facility in Meadowville Technology Park
The Virginia factory will be the LEGO Group’s seventh factory globally and the second in the Americas. The company’s manufacturing site in Monterrey, Mexico primarily supplies the US market and will be expanded and upgraded to meet growing demand for LEGO products.
Rendering of the LEGO Group Facility in Meadowville Technology Park
Carsten Rasmussen, Chief Operations Officer, the LEGO Group said: “Our factories are located close to our biggest markets which shortens the distance our products have to travel. This allows us to rapidly respond to changing consumer demand and helps manage our carbon footprint. Our new factory in the US and expanded capacity at our existing site in Mexico means we will be able to best support long-term growth in the Americas. We are fortunate to find a location where we can begin construction quickly and create temporary capacity in under two years.”
The new factory in Virginia, like all LEGO facilities, will use state-of-the-art technology to mold, process and pack LEGO products and ensure they meet the company’s rigorous safety and quality requirements.
“Our bricks are made to last for generations, so we need skilled employees trained to work with precision moulding technology. We look forward to working with the Virginia Talent Accelerator programme to help build a great team who are motivated by our mission to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow,” said Mr. Rasmussen.
The Lego Group Global Supply Chain Network
The LEGO Group currently employs approximately 2,600 people in the U.S.A. where it has been operating since the 1960s. Its U.S.A. head office is in Enfield, CT, and operates 100 LEGO branded stores across the country.
The LEGO Group Site in Meadowville Technology Park
Meadowville Technology Park is a premiere, master-planned, publicly owned industrial park located in business-friendly Chesterfield, Virginia. The park sits at the junction of Interstate 295 and the historic James River. Meadowville Technology Park is one of Virginia’s largest, most innovative and most connected employment centers.
Location of Meadowville Technology Park in Chesterfield
Project Facts:
• Investment: US$1 billion over 10 years
• Jobs: 1,760 positions created over 10 years
• Land: 340 acres/137 ha
• Buildings: 1.7 million sq ft / 160.000 m² which will house molding, processing, and packing and a high bay warehouse.
• Timeline:
- 2022 Groundbreaking
- 2024 Packing in temporary building begins
- 2025, H2 Production commences, solar park completed
• Sustainability ambitions:
The Virginia facility will be designed to operate as a carbon neutral factory which means it will be a highly energy efficient site and 100 percent of its energy needs will be matched by onsite renewable sources. It will strive to:
- Reduce energy usage: The factory buildings and manufacturing processes will be designed to minimize energy use. The aim is to secure Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification for the building once it’s completed.
- Increase renewable energy supply: An onsite solar park will be constructed which will match all the factory’s energy needs.
• Precision manufacturing:
- Each LEGO brick is molded to the accuracy of a hair’s width (5my/0.005mm) to ensure the perfect ‘clutch power’ that holds LEGO creations together.
The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, meaning “Play Well.” Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. However, its products are now sold in more than 130 countries worldwide. The company’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in the LEGO bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine. Time included the LEGO Group on the inaugural list of the Top 100 Influential Companies in 2021.
Support for the LEGO Group’s job creation will be provided through the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a workforce initiative created by VEDP in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System and other higher education partners, with funding support from the Governor’s administration and the Virginia General Assembly. Launched in 2019, the program accelerates new facility start-ups through the direct delivery of recruitment and training services that are fully customized to a company’s unique products, processes, equipment, standards, and culture. All program services are provided at no cost to qualified new and expanding companies as an incentive for job creation. Interested applicants can visit http://www.LEGOcareersvirginia.com/ and receive notification when job applications officially open in late 2022/early 2023.
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CONTACTS
The LEGO Group
Contact: Benjamin Hjorth
Email: media@LEGO.com
Chesterfield Economic Development
Contact: Matt McLaren
Email: mclarenm@chesterfield.gov
Contact: Garrett Hart
Email: hartga@chesterfield.gov
The LEGO Group Site in Meadowville Technology Park
