Changes in LEGO Production

[architect]

On July 1st, The LEGO Company issued a press release announcing the end of outsourcing element production to Flextronics. We all know there were quality issues during the initial transfer of production to locations outside of Denmark (Czech Republic, Mexico, etc). It is also evident to fans that demand for LEGO products has often not been met in the last two years. It is an encouraging sign that TLG will own, manage, and operate most of their own facilities and not a third party.

Please check out the press release here and leave your comments in this thread.

[castlebuilder100]

Hooray!

[Handar]

That's the best news I've heard today. It might be the best news that I've heard all week.

I took a long break from Lego when I felt that the set quality took a marked decline in the mid-nineties. I have been thrilled by the recent Castle line, and this brought me back with a vengeance. My enthusiasm has been tempered, however, by the fact that some pieces seemed to be of less quality than that to which I had been accustomed. In particular, I'm thinking about problems of not all pieces of the same colour matching one another (specifically red), and I've noticed that some pieces that should be textured are noticeably smoother than others. I am very, very happy to hear that Lego will now have closer control over their production, and I look forward to a return to the quality that I have come to expect from Lego. This is most welcome news indeed.

[darkstarsk8er327]

thats awesome finallly they say sorry for saying that their items are out of commission the week before i order!! this is great news

[wobnam]

We all know there were quality issues during the initial transfer of production to locations outside of Denmark

Do you know specifically what these issues were?

[architect]

We all know there were quality issues during the initial transfer of production to locations outside of Denmark

Do you know specifically what these issues were?

There have been several major problems. Please see these threads for some of the AFOL discussions:

Color consistency:

http://news.lugnet.com/reviews/?n=1162
http://news.lugnet.com/color/?n=1450

Lack of clutch power:

http://news.lugnet.com/color/?n=1439

Change in mold design (ie: smooth roof tiles/slopes):

http://news.lugnet.com/ambassadors/?n=313


Ben

[wobnam]

Obliged.

[Saaz]

I think this is great news. In the last year or two I've seen far more quality problems than I'd seen in the previous 30 years combined. And not just cosmetic stuff like inconsistent color and smooth slopes, but even malformed pieces that won't stick together.

Hopefully TLG has noticed the same problems, and decided they can fix them by taking back control of their production.

[Sibley]

This is great news! My only fear is that it will mean the end of fire-breathing horses

[Jansen]

Thank you LEGO! This is a step in a good direction!

[timber_wolf899]

I love TLG as much as anyone, but i have to say it serves them right, being burned by outsourcing. Karma eh?

Very happy to hear of this change.

[Athos]

That's great news.

Steve

[Munchy]

Very happy as well.

I have 5 shades of red.


blech

[rogue27]

This has the potential to be good news, but I'm going to take a wait and see approach.

[Athos]

This has the potential to be good news, but I'm going to take a wait and see approach.

Well at least they're acknowledging the problem and taking steps to fix it. Better than before, where there was no real response.

Steve