LEDON’s history

A family-owned company for three generations

When Leo Donbæk founded LEDON in 1969, he was driven by a desire to make a difference to children’s play. He wanted to create fun and stimulating high-quality play equipment that would stand the test of time and where safety was second-to-none. We still adhere to this philosophy today.

We want to make a difference for children’s development, and pass on a better world to the next generation.
Leo Donbæk, founder of LEDON

Today, LEDON is run by the second and third generations of the family: Leo’s son Tom Donbæk and Tom’s daughter Simone Donbæk. The day-to-day management is shared between the two, with Tom focusing on in-house production and the value chain, while Simone’s focus is on product development, sales and marketing.

Since 1984, LEDON’s production has been based in Arnum in southern Jutland.

Over the past 50 years, LEDON has seen strong growth and development. What started out as a one-man business – Leo in his workshop with his hand plane making play equipment – has evolved over the years into a growing company. We now have more than 25 employees working at our head offices in Arnum and Kolding. Our play equipment, including our tube slides, now have an international reach and bring joy to children in more than 40 countries.

The development of our tube slides started over 25 years ago, and, during the years, we have become one of the leading manufacturers of plastic tubes in the world. When Leo and Tom started the project back in the 1990s, they wanted to create even more play value in the playground and give children a better and safer sliding experience, even from tall play systems.

We still use the same high-quality materials and modular design today, as it keeps proving its worth even decades later. Our continuous development of accessories, construction program and technological improvements have also meant that our expertise has kept up with the times, and we continue to deliver solutions that make dreams come true.

Read more: Why choose LEDON Tube Slides?

Timeline

1969
Leo establishes LEDON Modul, which later becomes LEDON.

1984
1 May, LEDON moves to Arnum and into a former school, which is converted into a production facility. The Donbæk family moves into the flat above the factory.

1985
Leo’s son, Tom, starts working for LEDON. He is given responsibility for Danish sales and assembly in Denmark.

1998
LEDON launches its tubes, which have since become known worldwide for their modular design that makes it possible to build tube slides for any purpose.

1999
LEDON receives Nordea’s initiative award.

1999
LEDON starts selling tube slides to several countries, primarily in Europe.

2001
LEDON is named a Børsen Gazelle company. This is a title given to fast-growing companies that double their revenue over a four-year period.

2002
LEDON is again named a Børsen Gazelle company.

2004
LEDON develops the 3D construction program TunnelMaker, which is used to design and construct our tube slides.

2010
Polycarbonate windows are developed for the tubes.

2012
Tom Donbæk’s daughter Simone, representing the third generation of the Donbæk family, joins LEDON in product development.

2017
A generational succession is implemented. Simone Donbæk buys Leo Donbæk’s shares in LEDON.

2017
In connection with LEDON’s growth and development, we establish a new head office in Kolding with sales, marketing and product development departments.

2018
LEDON becomes a partner in Kolding School of Design’s Master’s Programme in Design for Play.

2019
LEDON wins the regional final of the ‘Akademikerprisen’ award, which honours SMEs that have created results by employing university graduates.