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Breaking barriers: Svanehøj’s Innovation Lab drives transparency and collaboration
The R&D and Technical Department at Svanehøj recently hosted its third annual “Open Lab Day” event, inviting colleagues for a behind-the-scenes look at the lab and an opportunity to explore new innovations.
The Svanehøj Innovation Lab was established a few years ago to enable real-world proof-of-concept testing, bridge the gap between the R&D- and Technical Department and production, and enhance the prototyping phase with tools like 3D printing.
Today, it’s much more than a physical space. It’s a hub for ideas to come alive, for collaboration and inspiration across teams and departments.
The “Open Lab Day” initiative began in 2022 when Uffe Løjstrup Kristensen, Director of the R&D and Technical Department, was asked to share insights from R&D with the board during a visit. Instead of presenting technical slides in a meeting room, Uffe chose to invite the board into the newly established Innovation Lab.
The idea was to create an informal setup where informative posters, prototypes, and visuals would spark conversations about innovation. The response was so positive that the R&D- and Technical Department decided to open the event for the entire company. Today, it’s an annual tradition at the Svanehøj headquarters.
At the Open Lab Day, colleagues from all departments are encouraged to drop by the Innovation Lab, enjoy some refreshments, and learn about ongoing R&D development and engineering projects. Engineers can showcase their work with posters and visuals, highlighting both new product developments, technical improvements to existing products, and behind-the-scenes insights into how drawings, parts lists, and production workflows are optimized. Techniques are visualized, explained and shown.
A door-opener for everyday collaboration
What makes the Open Lab Day event unique is its informality. Attendees are free to look around for themselves, ask questions to engineers, provide input, or simply observe.
The value of the Open Lab Day extends far beyond the event. For the engineers at Svanehøj, it’s a chance to explain their projects in a way that connects with colleagues from other teams. By showcasing projects from the R&D and Technical Department and demonstrating how the Innovation Lab supports the entire organization, this event fosters greater transparency and connection between R&D and the rest of the company.
- The Open Lab Day initiative is about breaking down barriers and making it easier for everyone at Svanehøj to connect with our work and where we get to show what we develop and not least what we improve. It’s not just a one-day event – it’s an invitation to keep the dialogue going. This way, it becomes a way for everyone to come to our engineers with input, ideas and feedback, says Uffe Løjstrup Kristensen.
Read more about our Innovation Lab here: