Healthy greenery - Tesla suspends car production for a five-day period.
The American electric car company, Tesla, is temporarily closing its only European factory in Gruenheide near Berlin for a week this month to carry out upgrades. The spokesperson for the company confirmed the closure on Tuesday, verifying a report by Handelsblatt on Monday. According to Tesla, the shutdown aims to enhance efficiency, increase availability, and optimize cycle times in their production facilities.
The previous halts in production were not related to casting or battery cell production, but rather to vehicle and drive train manufacturing. A message sent to staff indicated that there would be "short production stops" on five different days.
Production at the factory has been disrupted several times this year. In late January, Tesla halted production for approximately two weeks due to attacks by the Yemeni Huthi militia on ships in the Red Sea. In March, a nearby power supply was targeted, leading to a power outage and ceasing production at Tesla for nearly a week. The "Vulkangruppe" admitted responsibility for the assault. The Federal Public Prosecutor is currently investigating the incident.
During protests after Ascension Day in May, environmental activists attempted to storm the Tesla facility. The police intervened and prevented them from doing so. As a result, there was no production at the site on that day. Tesla attributed the lack of production to the Whit Monday holiday.
Employment figures may also be affected by the closures, with approximately 400 job cuts having been announced for the Gruenheide factory - part of a larger scale of layoffs planned by the company amid a decline in the sales of electric vehicles.
Tesla has been manufacturing electric cars around Berlin for more than two years, with close to 12,000 employees at the factory. Its long-term goal is to produce two million cars each year at the Gruenheide location, but they have yet to reach their initial target of one million cars. The company is also facing controversy over the expansion of the factory to include a freight yard and logistics facilities. While the local councilors have approved the construction plans, a citizen survey opposed the expansion.
