Positive results have been forthcoming from the new working hours regime that the world’s leading toy maker tried out in one of its Danish casting factories. The work shift was extended from 8 to 9.25 hours whilst the working week was shortened from 5 to 4 days. Productivity levels increased significantly and the workers were happy to work the new regime. The trial was presented as a new model at the annual Dansk Industri Conference (employers’ body) held at Kolding on 04 November 2015. Planet Labor interviewed Chresten Bruun, vice president of Lego with responsibility for the Billund factory and Berit Flindt Pedersen, the company’s employee representative.
More than 700* employees work in the highly automated casting factory at Billund (in the South of Denmark) where the Lego headquarters are also located. 768 molding machines operate non-stop for 361 days of the year and produce 3 million pieces an hour**. The new working hour regime was trialed in the transformation workshop (omstillingsafdeling) where 35 specialist plastics industry employees (plastmagere) direct the molding machines from one production type to a different production type.
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