Elon Musk halts Tesla Gigafactory Berlin Germany's production of electric vehicles (EVs) for two weeks as the giant automaker attempts to address some of its manufacturing problems.
The production pause reportedly puts numerous Giga Berlin employees on vacation, but the exact numbers are still unclear.
Elon Musk Halts Tesla Gigafactory Berlin Germany Production
As per a news story by Fortune, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and founder of Tesla, the ultra-rich billionaire Musk, was forced to suspend the Giga Berlin production.
The move comes shortly after Tesla faced a massive safety recall from the automotive regulator of Germany, affecting roughly over 59,000 EVs in various parts of the world.
However, Fortune notes that the recent recall is "unrelated" to the two-week suspension of the Giga Berlin production.
So why was Musk forced to halt the operation of Giga Berlin?
Tesla Giga Berlin Production Halt
Fortune cites a Germany-based news tabloid, Bild, which lays out the problems that the Giga Berlin currently grapples with these days.
It includes the long manufacturing time and persistent issues with quality assurance. Not to mention that the Tesla facility is also reportedly facing difficulties in recruiting skilled workers.
But despite all this, the EV maker still achieved a recent milestone at the Giga Berlin. It produced around 1,000 vehicles in merely a week. Still, Fortune notes that this is far from the full capacity of the German facility.
So, according to a recent report by Electrek, the giant all-electric automaker is working to ramp up production at Giga Berlin. And to do so, Tesla urgently needs to work on upgrading its German plant. Thus, Musk had to pause its operations for several days.
The local tabloid reports that the giant EV maker is upgrading the work stations of the Giga Berlin in an attempt to ramp up the productivity of its production.
Giga Berlin Workforce
On top of the upgrades in the German facility, Tesla reportedly plans to adopt a three-shift operation instead of the previous two-shift format. The move is part of the goal to ramp up the manufacturing at Giga Berlin.
However, Electrek mentions in its report that one of the most significant issues that Giga Berlin faces is its lack of workers.
In fact, the Berlin auto plant is reportedly facing difficulties in hiring new employees and retaining its current workforce. Given that, the EV maker has already raised the salary of its workers by roughly 6 percent.
But if the recruitment issues persist, Tesla might have a hard time filling up its third shift with skilled workers, Electrek notes.