As the global pandemic continues, I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy. I have seen many fans of the brick find new time to build due to lock-down requirements. That has included increased orders of sets from LEGO® and limited supply due to the factory in Mexico shutting down. LEGO® has tried to keep up with demand by shipping products from Europe and Asia, but there are still a lot of sets out of stock/on back order status at LEGO® Shop @ Home. A mid-May 2020 status update is posted here. With July coming up soon, I was curious as to where things were at in Mexico with the plant that supplies North America.

First off, a quick background on LEGO® and Mexico. According to lego.com, production began in Mexico in 2006. After a failed partnership attempt, production was in-sourced and a factory was stood up in Monterrey, Mexico. That’s about a 140 mile drive from the US border with Texas.

I wasn’t able to find the exact date things shut down in Mexico, but it appears to be in the April 2020 time frame. If you have knowledge of when it was, let me know. This generated a lot of pressure from US businesses and the US government as many companies rely on parts and production that takes place in Mexico. As of 1 June 2020, Mexico allowed aerospace, defense, construction, and mining related industries to re-open. This was along with the companies related to food production, health care, and other essential companies.

So where does the LEGO® factory sit on that list? I’m not sure, but as much as I’m looking forward to picking up some sets that have been out of stock, I want the workers to be safe. I am willing to wait and I encourage you to do the same.

In the meantime, happy building… stay safe and healthy!