Hungary’s LEGO factory has officially opened a major expansion, increasing production capacity by 30% as the LEGO Group aims to support increasing demand in the region.
The LEGO factory in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, has increased production capacity by 30% thanks to the official opening of a major expansion intended to meet growing demand in Europe.
A two-year investment programme has more than paid off at the LEGO Group’s factory in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, more than doubling the size of the factory when compared to its original 2014 footprint from 120,000 to 262,000 square metres. The expansion has led to a 30% increase in production capacity at the site, which now features over 1,000 injection moulding machines and 73 packaging lines. To support the expanded production, 300 jobs have been added, bringing the total workforce to more than 4,300 people.
New warehouse and administrative facilities were also a part of the expansion, helping to make the Nyíregyháza factory the second largest of the six LEGO factories across the globe.
“Today marks a very important milestone for us as we proudly celebrate the successful completion of the expansion of our factory in Hungary,” said Niels B Christiansen, CEO of the LEGO Group. “The site reflects our commitment to sustainability, and through increased manufacturing capacity we will be able to bring more LEGO play to more children and fans in Europe and around the world.”
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Those sustainability efforts include the exploration of geothermal energy to heat the factory — the goal is to eliminate natural gas from heating systems by 2028. In the past two years, two wells have been drilled near the factory in hopes of utilising a potential heat source two kilometres beneath the surface. In a plan that coincidentally features the number two a lot, the goal is to have infrastructure in place to circulate hot water through the factory in two years. The full, closed system, where extracted water will be pumped back into the ground is then expected to be completed by 2028.
“We are very proud of the sustainability programmes we have implemented, including being the first in this region of Hungary to harness the power of geothermal energy to this scale in an industrial setting. We are deeply grateful for the support of our many partners who are helping us on our ambition to further reduce our environmental impact. We remain committed to the region, both as a major employer and an active player in the local community,” said Chresten Bruun, SVP of EMEA Manufacturing and General Manager of LEGO Manufacturing Kft.
The Nyíregyháza factory is also home to three solar parks, totalling more than 24,000 solar panels. New installations will see a 200% increase in capacity by the end of 2025. Supporting local ecosystems is another of the factory’s missions, to date having planted 46,000 drought-tolerant trees and shrubs as well as 3,800 square metres of bee-friendly plants.
LEGO Manufacturing Nyíregyháza’s expansion is just one bit of LEGO factory news to come out this year: the LEGO Group recently opened its sixth factory in Vietnam; the seventh is under construction in the United States and the factory in Czechia is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
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