Under Armour has finally made good on its promise of bringing more of its operations, including manufacturing, to the United States, specifically the brand’s hometown of Baltimore. Today, UA CEO and founder Kevin Plank, flanked by Baltimore City officials and Maryland representatives, opened the door to UA Lighthouse, a new hub for manufacturing and design innovation.

While the new location is a huge step, UA Lighthouse does not seem like a large-scale manufacturing plant that will bring many new jobs from overseas to Baltimore. Rather, it is a space where UA’s designers, R&D, and external partners will be able to create new product with cutting edge technology that will then be “transferred to factory partners to scale” (Under Armour).

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Today, Under Armour (NYSE: UA, UA.C), along with Maryland Representatives, Baltimore City officials, and community leaders, 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 proving grounds for developing new, cutting-edge product and efficient manufacturing processes. The UA Lighthouse will be the guiding light for developing best practices and efficient methods for how all Under Armour product is 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, 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 physical space and tools to create, to build, and to push the boundaries of what is possible in their shared mission to make great product for athletes around 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 cutting-edge technology including:

3D Design and Body Scanning : Allows for the design of custom footwear and apparel while reducing waste in the development process and providing better service for Under Armour’s growing roster of athletes.

: Allows for the design of custom footwear and apparel while reducing waste in the development process and providing better service for Under Armour’s growing roster of athletes. 3D Printing and Rapid Prototyping: Where ideas are turned into tangible products, this hard good model shop has a state-of-the art 5-axis simultaneous machining center as well as a suite of fabrication tools.

Where ideas are turned into tangible products, this hard good model shop has a state-of-the art 5-axis simultaneous machining center as well as a suite of fabrication tools. Apparel and Footwear Prototyping: Where designers and developers come to ideate, test, and refine products and processes with concepts brought to life in new ways beyond the traditional cut-and-make methods.

Where designers and developers come to ideate, test, and refine products and processes with concepts brought to life in new ways beyond the traditional cut-and-make methods. Apparel and Footwear Pilot Lines: Proving ground for process and evaluating how concepts will perform in a full-scale production environment.

Under Armour has partnered with industry-leading organizations including The University of Maryland’s Engineering Department, The Dow Chemical Company, Huntsman, Lectra, Bemis, Epson, Desma, and 3dMD, among others. These partners and others will team up with Under Armour to drive innovation in product and process technology.

This innovation will also serve as a foundation for Under Armour’s local-for-local vision, where product is to be designed for and made in local markets around the world. UA Lighthouse will be the hub where new product 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, Product and Innovation, 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.”

For more information on UA Lighthouse, please visit http://www.citygarage.vc/ua-lighthouse/.

Photos via UA