Iconic toy manufacturer LEGO will invest US $508 million to expand its plant near the northern industrial city of Monterrey, Nuevo León Governor Samuel Garcia announced last week.

Governor García and state Economy Ministry official Emmanuel Loo met with Lego executives at their headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, as part of a European working tour promoting the state of Nuevo León as a strategic hub for international business.

The factory in Ciénega de Flores, a suburb north of Monterrey, is the largest LEGO plant in the world, producing around 90 million pieces per day. It supplies markets across the Americas with LEGO products, reaching more than 100 million families a year, according to a statement released by the state government.

García said that since he took office in October 2021, LEGO has invested US $1 billion in its Ciénega de Flores facilities. 

LEGO undertook a US $200 million expansion project in November 2023, adding a packing building, a warehouse extension and other facilities. That project added 59,000 square meters of operational space to the current site. 

The governor said that with this latest investment, LEGO aims “to make the plant not only the largest in the world, but also the most sustainable,” with plans to minimize energy use and increase renewable energy supply.

García said the expansion will include additional solar panels and increased solar battery storage capacity.

The factory already features a water treatment and recycling plant that reduces its water consumption — critical infrastructure in drought-prone Nuevo León.

LEGO COO Carsten Rasmussen thanked Governor García, saying his visit reinforced confidence in the relationship between the toy company and the state and their mutual opportunities for growth. 

Rasmussen said he would convey García’s message to the Board of Directors, confirming the value Lego places on Nuevo León.

The LEGO plant has generated 6,300 jobs across the state of Nuevo León. It is one of three LEGO factories in the world handling all aspects of the manufacturing and packaging of LEGO products, including molding elements, element processing and decoration and packing boxes.

With reports from El Economista, El Financiero, El Universal and Mexico Now