Business

Under Armour Opens Design Leadership Center

Under Armour (UA), along with Maryland Representatives,Baltimore City officials, and community leaders, has opened the door to the UA Lighthouse, a new center for manufacturing and design innovation. The 35,000 square-foot facility is located in South Baltimore’s City Garage and will be the grounds for developing new, cutting-edge products and efficient manufacturing processes. The UA Lighthouse is said to have the potential to be the guiding light for developing the best practices and most efficient methods for how all Under Armour products are made.

“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,” said Kevin Plank, Founder and CEO, for Under Armour. “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.”

The UA Lighthouse will provide Under Armour’s designers, developers and external partners the perfect physical space and tools to create, to build, and to push the boundaries of what is possible in their shared mission to make amazing products for athletes all over the world. Proven processes and technologies created at UA Lighthouse will then be shared with Under Armour’s global teammates and partner factories. Employees and partners will have access to the cutting-edge technology including:

  • 3D Design and Body Scanning: Allows for the design of customized footwear and clothing whilst reducing waste during the development process and providing better service for Under Armour’s growing roster of athletes.
  • 3D Printing and Rapid Prototyping: This is where ideas are turned into tangible products. This model shop has a state-of-the art 5-axis simultaneous machining center as well as a large range of fabrication tools.
  • Apparel and Footwear Prototyping: This is where designers and developers come to come up with ideas, test their ideas. Here, products can be refined and processes with concepts can be brought to life in new ways beyond traditional cut-and-make methods.
  • Apparel and Footwear Pilot Lines: Providing ground for evaluating how concepts will perform in a full-scale production environment.

Under Armour has partnered with many industry-leading organizations including:

  • The University of Maryland’s Engineering Department
  • The Dow Chemical Company
  • Huntsman
  • Lectra
  • Bemis
  • Epson
  • Desma
  • 3dMD

These partners and others will team up with Under Armour to drive innovation in both product and process technology.

This innovation will also serve as a foundation for Under Armour’s local-for-local vision, where products are to be designed and made for local markets around the world. UA Lighthouse will be the hub where new products and process technology is developed and then transferred to factory partners to scale.

“Under Armour’s approach to open innovation and collaboration can be seen in our strategic partnerships brought to life within the UA Lighthouse,” said Kevin Haley, President of Product and Innovation, for Under Armour. “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.”

www.citygarage.vc/ua-lighthouse/.

About Under Armour, Inc.
Under Armour (NYSE: UA, UA.C), a designer and manufacturer of performance footwear, apparel and equipment. They are said to have revolutionized how athletes across the world dress. Designed to make all athletes better, the brand’s innovative products are sold worldwide to athletes at all levels. The Under Armour Connected Fitness™ platform powers one of the world’s largest digital health and fitness communities through a suite of applications: UA Record, MapMyFitness, Endomondo and MyFitnessPal. The Under Armour global headquarters are located in Baltimore, Maryland.

www.uabiz.com