More than three months after the opening, Tesla boss Elon Musk has to temporarily close his giga factory near Berlin. Because production is too slow, the work processes will be reviewed in the next two weeks. That reports ‘Bild’.
Too slow, too little quality and too few employees: these are the problems facing the brand-new Tesla factory in Grünheide. It is a downer for the car manufacturer.
Tesla aims to produce 500,000 Model Ys at this plant each year, but so far only 1,000 bodies are made per week — about a tenth of its original target. In addition, many cars still have to be adjusted before delivery due to defects.
Next Monday, the work will be interrupted for two weeks, says ‘Bild’. It is unclear how many of the 4,500 employees will be sent on vacation and how many technicians will be left to adjust production processes.
Three shifts
After the production break, there would be three shifts instead of two, according to employees. In addition, Tesla could then start production in an adjacent hall.
Finding good employees is not an easy job for Tesla either. The car manufacturer hires 400 to 500 people per month. But that is still too little. By the end of the year, the workforce should grow from about 4,500 to 9,000 jobs. Batteries are therefore produced in Grünheide.
China
Until now, the engines are supplied from China. The factory in Shanghai was shut down in the spring due to Corona. Result: Tesla sold 17 percent fewer Model 3s and Ys in the second quarter than planned.
It was the first decline in two years. Tesla emphasized that production picked up in the course of the quarter. For example, a record number of cars were produced in June.
Disappointment
However, the quarter-on-quarter decline in the number of cars delivered is a disappointment to the company, which reported strong growth, helped by the opening of factories in Germany and the US state of Texas. The drop in the number of deliveries was also greater than the average connoisseurs had foreseen.
Tesla warned in April that delivery problems, which affect the auto industry as a whole, would continue to hamper the company’s production through the end of the year. A record number of cars were still delivered in the first quarter of the year.
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