Changes in LEGO Production

[ottoatm]

VERY good news! Things just keep getting better and better for us!

[wunztwice]

Great news in my opinion. I recently received several bricks with color swirling...when they were supposed to be single-color bricks. Neat rare parts, but not when I'm looking just for a brick.

also, several new bricks have evidence of air bubbles in the molds and have a strange bumply texture. Not easy to notice till the light hits them right!

I'm pleased LEGO will not be outsourcing and will be keeping production in-house!

[wobnam]

LEGO are still outsourcing, not just as much as before.

A step in the right direction to take back some control. Let's hope it has the desired effect both in brick quality and financially for the company.

[Count Blacktron]

Odd parts certainly increased in the new millenium. The oddest I ever received were two arches from a Bionicle brick-set that I only got for parts anyhow. New dark grey arches (2x8) that appeared to have pearl or silver dripped and then spun into them as though both had been whirled upon their sides around an axis and the center. Very odd indeed. Most other problems I've encountered have been incomplete filling of brick molds and overflow.

[oleth]

It's really good news for the quality of bricks and there were evidence things were moving to this direction since they took over the Czech factory in just in 2008 (in the Sustainability report 2007).

I just hope they can financially cope with the 2000+ employees they acquired (I conclude this from the press release and the annual 2007 report). But since they seem to be doing careful steps lately, I guess they know what they are doing

[timber_wolf899]

Oh i'm sure they'll be fine.

I'm not at all a believer in the absolute necesity of outsourcing. There are more costs than just wages, as TLG is finding out!

Often these hidden costs more than counter any balance sheet savings in hourly pay.

After all Henry Ford build his empire by paying workers 100 an hour. <the equiv there of, when you adjust the period wages for inflation.>

[Teherean]

I can't do else but to cheer with the rest!
will this mean that lego's also gonna be cheaper? because it is very expensive here in the netherlands.

[Aliencat]

I can't do else but to cheer with the rest!
will this mean that lego's also gonna be cheaper? because it is very expensive here in the netherlands.

I wouldn't count on it.
And actually compared to some places around us (Scandinavia and Turkey for example) our prices aren't so bad here in the Netherlands. Some German toystores are cheaper than ours but that's because there's more competition among German toystore holders.
Other than that I think only the Americans get stuff cheaper than we do, which of course is related to the Dollar vs Euro course, so I don't think we can really complain about the prices.

[julia.sadie]

I don't think that outsourcing the production of LEGO will make it cheaper. The idea of outsourcing is to lower the company's costs, such as wages and overhead, while still selling the product for the same price so they can earn more money.

[Napoleon]

VERY good news! Things just keep getting better and better for us!

That is an understatement, Quilly. Things are getting ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL for us! I am saving up for the entire Kingdoms line, which is a fantastic theme, and now we hear this news. Hallelujah! I have experienced this Flextronic problem in a few Bionicle sets: the joints break. LEGO always makes better products when they make it themselves.

[Aliencat]

and now we hear this news.

Now? Maybe you should look at the date of the post

[Napoleon]

and now we hear this news.

Now? Maybe you should look at the date of the post

Oops. Thanks for dashing my hopes.

I got all excited. I was like "Yay! No more cheap Chinese plastic! (goes out to buy LEGO Castle battlepack)"