Under Armour Opens UA Lighthouse Manufacturing And Design Leadership Centre.
The city of Baltimore is now home to a new Under Armour centre for manufacturing and design innovation known as the UA Lighthouse, thanks to a collaboration between sportswear giant and local community leaders.
Located in South Baltimore’s City Garage - originally a bus garage - the 35,000 square foot facility was launched by the Baltimore native company as a proving ground for developing new cutting edge manufacturing processes and will be used to guide best practices for how future Under Armour products are made.
Employees and partners will have access to various technologies including 3D design and 3D body scanning which can be used to develop custom footwear, like the Architect advanced training shoe, which won first prize in this year’s AMUG Technical Competition Advanced Concepts category. The centre will also house a 5-axis simultaneous machining centre and range of fabrication tools for rapid prototyping and 3D printing. Designers will also be able to ideate and test apparel and footwear products and evaluate how to turn new ways of making will perform in a full-scale production environment. These concepts will serve as a foundation for Under Armour’s local-for-local vision where products will be designed for a produced in local markers across the globe. UA Lighthouse will be the hub where new product and process technology is developed and then transferred to factory partners to scale.
"As Under Armour celebrates 20 years in business, we are committed, more than ever, to driving global innovation and continuing to expand our Global Headquarters in our great hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, USA," Kevin Plank, Founder and CEO, Under Armour, explained. "The UA Lighthouse will serve as a beacon to make product better, faster, and more efficiently, ultimately solving real problems for athletes and making them better around the world."
Under Armour is not alone in the project and has teamed with a range of partners including The University of Maryland's Engineering Department, The Dow Chemical Company, Huntsman, Lectra, Bemis, Epson, Desma, and 3dMD, among others to drive innovation in product and process technology.
"Under Armour's approach to open innovation and collaboration can be seen in our strategic partnerships brought to life within the UA Lighthouse," Kevin Haley, President, Product and Innovation, Under Armour, added. "We are excited about this game-changing opportunity and the endless possibilities created by bringing together our talented team and our world-class partners, to pioneer the future of design and manufacturing."
