The new factory

Royal Copenhagen’s headquarters and factory are located at the same address in Glostrup in Denmark, about twenty minutes from the centre of Copenhagen. The new factory was opened on 17 September 2004 by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark in the presence of 700 distinguished guests. The festivities marked the end of a long process of strategic and practical work.

At the turn of the millennium some strategic decisions had to be made about porcelain production in Denmark. It soon became obvious that in future more outsourcing would be necessary, in close interaction with smaller but more effective home production. Subsequently, a new production layout was designed and the new production philosophy was drawn up. The challenge was to find the right balance between efficient industrial manufacture and maintaining the high standards of craftsmanship and skill behind the company’s strong brand.

The solution adopted was based on lean production, which in very simple terms consists of:

• Focus on creating value for the customer
• Identifying the value stream and eliminating activities that do not create value
• Making the value-creating activities flow effectively
• The end-customers determines the production
• Pursuing perfection through constant improvements

The factory is divided into the following six specialised departments:

1. Preparation for production (Raw materials warehouse, slip house, modelling, plaster workshop and laboratory)
2. Flatware (Rolling, painting, firing, glazing and kilns of Collector plates and dinner-service plates)
3. Cup Line (Producing cups only)
4. Hollow-ware (Moulded products such as dishes, jugs, bowls and small series of hand-thrown plates and cups)
5. Special (Complex products such as figurines, vases, Full Lace dinner-services and Flora Danica)
6. Overglaze (Painting workshop primarily but also firing, polishing and packaging)

During the first year in the new factory, productivity increased by 40%. It used to take 40 days to produce a cup, for instance, but it can now be done in three days.

The reorganization of the factory has proved quite a challenge for the employees, and it could never have been so successful without their positive attitude, training courses, hard work and a willingness to accept change that calls for deep respect for the company heritage.