Why is LEGO now being made in China?

[9v system]

it looks like lego is now being made in china. according to the side of a lego box

it looks like the quality is slipping.

share your thoughts.

Edited May 15, 2015 by 9v system

[samlr]

Yes ... It's sad ... However I don't know if Lego made in china are lower quality. I noticed the quality was going down, but that started before they opened the factory in china.

[CopMike]

Different parts have been made in China for many years - just check a couple of your older boxes.

The reason that TLG now has started making more parts and complete sets is that they want to expand into the Asian market.

You can read more about it here.

[Brickus]

Full LEGO sets aren't being made in China, only certain parts from sets, such as:

Elastic bands

Cloth capes / Fabric and string elements

Torso elements that have arm printing

Double moulded legs

Anything individually bagged (intricate headgear, large animal moulds, specialised headpieces)

Power Functions

Light-up Bricks

Sound Bricks

Friends Minidolls

Some specialised moulds (the cannon piece found in Pirates sets)

All Collectible Minifigures (if any new mould appears in this line first, and then reappears in sets then it is most likely coming from China)

However every single LEGO set will list Denmark, Hungary, Mexico and the Czech Republic as countries of manufacture, although you may come across ones that also list Poland, Austria, Germany, USA, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

Edited May 16, 2015 by Brickus

[MAB]

However every single LEGO set will list Denmark, Hungary, Mexico and the Czech Republic as countries of manufacture, although you may come across ones that also list Poland, Austria, Germany, USA, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

And China. Obviously.

[Brickus]

And China. Obviously.

Yes, of course. Lol.

[dr_spock]

Your questions may be will Australia end up getthing all its products from China since it is closer? Will any savings in transport costs help lower the suggested Aussie retail price (assuming the Aussie government doesn't slap large import tariffs for LEGO goods from China.) Will a LEGO owned factory have better quality than outsourced 3rd party manufacturer?

[Meiko]

Why not? LEGO hasn't been exclusively manufactured in one country for a very long time. As stated above, LEGO has been manufactured in China for many years. The Chinese factory is also more advanced than some of the other factories, so more intricate parts and printings have been done in China lately as the other factories aren't (yet) equipped with the ability to mould or print some of these kinds of parts.

[HawkLord]

I'm fine with the China manufacturing as long as the quality stays consistent. From my own experience, the quality has been good in the past few years, so I don't have anything major to complain or be concerned about. I've had a couple CMFs that have had loose joints and the like, but it hasn't impacted my main Lego lines yet.

[Robert8]

I'd say the low quality is noticeable in the CMF theme.

One of my friends got a S12 Jester with issues in his headpiece. The fitting is so bad that the head literally expels the hat.

That's just embarrassing for a company like LEGO

Edited May 16, 2015 by Robert8

[fred67]

There's only one reason to manufacture in China - to increase profits. Why is it even a question?

[kevin8]

If you can note, many minifigs have loose legs. My sons ask why their minifigs seem used while they are actually new. This happens with almost licensed minifigs.

[Heppeng]

Just because something is made in China does not necessarily mean poor quality. China has come a very long way. Nowadays you only get poor quality if the company allows it in their specification. A case in point, I also dabble in Model Railways, where high top quality models are demanded. Most of the major manufactures use china including some high end top of the range specialists, and the detail and finish and running qualities achieved is astounding. China can deliver product to any quality specified, from very low to exceptionally high. So if you find a low quality Chinese product, it is most likely that someone specified it to be like that - may be to save money - and the Chinese factory obliged.

[SuperGeniusCreator]

I have several collectable minifigures, which are made in China, and I don't really have problems with their quality. And if there ever are problems, Lego's customer service is very nice and will replace your minifig with another one, though in the case of the collectable minifigures they will only be able to send you another blind bag most of the time.

As long as the quality continues to be as consistent as it is right now, and Lego continues to have such a great customer service that will replace any faulty parts, then I'm ok with them making Lego bricks in China.

Please don't disappoint me, Lego.

[zux]

Since CMF is known to come from China I cannot leave this without noting that some Movie minifigures from CMF had better printing(sharper, thin lines) than the ones came in sets.

[kibosh]

While it may be possible to control quality in China (I don't agree), I think a lot of the product goes out the back door and directly into the hands of bootleggers. I think this is where the biggest problem will arise.

[dr_spock]

It can be done but you have to proactively provide oversight and perform due diligence when you outsource work. Sometimes you have to send your own staff overseas to ensure quality and IP protection and have clauses in the contract for financial penalties. It can be a pain in the butt if you're the person responsible to manage the contract/contractors from afar but cost savings can help up your stock share price and senior exec pay.

[Stuart]

Interesting topic .. Lego are just expanding to cater for the Asian market .. As well as Denmark .. There are factories in Hungary .. Czech Republic and Mexico .. So is this a problem where Lego comes from ..because Lego will still make and sell at the same price .. I have not seen any quality issues ..

[Jared]

Just because something is made in China does not necessarily mean poor quality. China has come a very long way. Nowadays you only get poor quality if the company allows it in their specification. A case in point, I also dabble in Model Railways, where high top quality models are demanded. Most of the major manufactures use china including some high end top of the range specialists, and the detail and finish and running qualities achieved is astounding. China can deliver product to any quality specified, from very low to exceptionally high. So if you find a low quality Chinese product, it is most likely that someone specified it to be like that - may be to save money - and the Chinese factory obliged.

Although I see your evidence, here's an article from brickset which covers the topic: http://brickset.com/article/3504/disappointing-brick-quality-in-monster-fighter-set

As far as quality goes, there's definitely a decline in quality. One of my projects I'm working on pits the stability of new and old bricks, and I'm finding the new bricks have very poor clutch power when compared with the old bricks.

Edited May 22, 2015 by Jared

[Faefrost]

Although I see your evidence, here's an article from brickset which covers the topic: http://brickset.com/article/3504/disappointing-brick-quality-in-monster-fighter-set

As far as quality goes, there's definitely a decline in quality. One of my projects I'm working on pits the stability of new and old bricks, and I'm finding the new bricks have very poor clutch power when compared with the old bricks.

The clutch power has nothing to do with where the product was made. Nor is it a sign of diminishing QC or product Quality. Lego has talked about this many many times. The reduction in clutch power of newer pieces over older "classic" parts is by design. They are constantly adjusting and fine tuning clutch as they replace molds. One concern was the older parts had too strong of a clutch power, especially over time. This was making it extremely difficult for children in the 6-12 age group to take Lego pieces apart. Lego is designed as a " System". What that means is every piece must consistently connect to every other, and every piece must consistently seperate from any other using a specific amount of force.

Change is not always a marker of Quality, good or bad. In this case it was deliberate engineering to make a better product for the core audience and consumer.

As far as China. Lego is building or by now has built their own factory in China, in order to facilitate sales into the Asian market, particularly China. This is not a contracted supplier running bootlegs out the back door. This is Lego's own factory. Built and managed by Lego. Chinese production uses molds and tooling produced by Lego Denmark.

The quality claims regarding the CMF legs being loose? It simply means that the Chinese factory is using a different set of leg tooling than the European factory. A mold set that was tuned to have slightly less tension on the legs and hips.

About the only true quality concerns regarding China come from plastic and color quality. Because China requires that plastics and color dyes be locally sourced, neither the plastics nor the color dyes Lego uses in China will 100% match the formulations they receive from Europe. This does not mean that the Chinese plastic is immediately "cheap" or "garbage". It may and typically will have exactly the same specs and properties of the Euro sourced materials. It just is not 100% perfectly matched. And before the purists start screaming, Lego runs into the same issue with North American sourced plastics.

[Lyichir]

The clutch power has nothing to do with where the product was made. Nor is it a sign of diminishing QC or product Quality. Lego has talked about this many many times. The reduction in clutch power of newer pieces over older "classic" parts is by design. They are constantly adjusting and fine tuning clutch as they replace molds. One concern was the older parts had too strong of a clutch power, especially over time. This was making it extremely difficult for children in the 6-12 age group to take Lego pieces apart. Lego is designed as a " System". What that means is every piece must consistently connect to every other, and every piece must consistently seperate from any other using a specific amount of force.

Change is not always a marker of Quality, good or bad. In this case it was deliberate engineering to make a better product for the core audience and consumer.

As far as China. Lego is building or by now has built their own factory in China, in order to facilitate sales into the Asian market, particularly China. This is not a contracted supplier running bootlegs out the back door. This is Lego's own factory. Built and managed by Lego. Chinese production uses molds and tooling produced by Lego Denmark.

The quality claims regarding the CMF legs being loose? It simply means that the Chinese factory is using a different set of leg tooling than the European factory. A mold set that was tuned to have slightly less tension on the legs and hips.

About the only true quality concerns regarding China come from plastic and color quality. Because China requires that plastics and color dyes be locally sourced, neither the plastics nor the color dyes Lego uses in China will 100% match the formulations they receive from Europe. This does not mean that the Chinese plastic is immediately "cheap" or "garbage". It may and typically will have exactly the same specs and properties of the Euro sourced materials. It just is not 100% perfectly matched. And before the purists start screaming, Lego runs into the same issue with North American sourced plastics.

Bless you, Faefrost. You've pretty much summed up the entirety of my issue with the hysteria over "cheap Chinese plastic". So much of it is based on paranoia and prejudice, and so few of the actual facts back up those claims.

Edited May 25, 2015 by Lyichir

[Back to the Brick]

Just because something is made in China does not necessarily mean poor quality. China has come a very long way. Nowadays you only get poor quality if the company allows it in their specification. A case in point, I also dabble in Model Railways, where high top quality models are demanded. Most of the major manufactures use china including some high end top of the range specialists, and the detail and finish and running qualities achieved is astounding. China can deliver product to any quality specified, from very low to exceptionally high. So if you find a low quality Chinese product, it is most likely that someone specified it to be like that - may be to save money - and the Chinese factory obliged.

Sadly, it's only true for a few companies in China. Have you never heard about the poor quality of products based on the employees' working conditions?

I won't speak about the suicides and child labor happening even in factory working for “overpriced” and “high quality” companies like Apple. Their products are far from perfect, and it's truer for products with planned obsolescence.

Luckily LEGO are just toys but I don't trust all the Chinese factories and their working conditions ; they are not good enough compared to the US or some European countries. If LEGO cares about that why not, but we (and they) should care about the final product quality and working conditions, at the same level.

Edited May 27, 2015 by Back to the Brick

[Heppeng]

Yes, but that information is getting somewhat out of date. There are no doubt still a few bad apples around, but the improvement in working conditions and pay has been quite substantial over the last fifteen years or so. Because of the expansion of the Chinese economy, if a worker does not like his pay and conditions he/she can now go and find somewhere better. Treat your workers like they used to be and soon you will have no workers. This is one of the main reason why labour costs are going up in China.

[antp]

There's only one reason to manufacture in China - to increase profits. Why is it even a question?

One big reason is for selling in China without having to pay high import costs. Seeing how big that market is, it is logical for Lego to produce locally for that market.

[Naijel]

The assumption that anything made in China is crap is ridiculous and out dated. 50 years ago people used to say that all cars made in Japan were terrible. They were not great, but that changed. In the 1990s people said cars made in Korea were terrible. They were perhaps not great, but things have changed. The high quality manufacturing of Apple iPhone and iPad housings is done in China. Lots of very high quality things are made there. Some terrible things are made there, but that does not mean LEGO made in China will be terrible.