The uncertain situation in the Red Sea, a power outage after an attack, a bridge day: Production at the Tesla plant in Grünheide has been at a standstill several times this year – and now soon again.
The US electric car manufacturer Tesla is again reducing car production at its only European plant in Grünheide near Berlin this year – this time for five days. Production will be suspended on June 7, 14, 17, 27 and 28, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday, confirming a report in the “Handelsblatt” (Monday). Tesla justifies the planned breaks in June with improvements. “The planned production-free days are for upgrades of the production facilities to increase efficiency and optimize availability and cycle times,” the spokeswoman said.
The temporary shutdown is therefore planned for vehicle and drive production, but not for the foundry and battery cell production. The newspaper refers to a message to the workforce about “short pit stops” on five days.
Production has been on hold several times
It is not the first production break this year. At the end of January, Tesla halted production in Grünheide in Brandenburg for around two weeks due to attacks by the Yemeni Houthi militia on ships in the Red Sea. In March, there was an attack on the power supply near the factory. Due to a power outage, Tesla’s car production was put on hold for almost a week. The left-wing extremist “Vulkangruppe” said it was responsible for the attack. The Federal Prosecutor General is investigating.
In May, environmental activists attempted to storm the Tesla site during protests following Ascension Day, but the police prevented them. The day after the holiday, there was no production at the plant. The company had referred to the bridge day.
Job cuts also in Grünheide
The US carmaker has been producing electric cars southeast of Berlin for more than two years. Around 12,000 employees work in the factory. The global job cuts planned at Tesla in view of the slump in the electric car market also affect hundreds of jobs in the factory in Grünheide. The company announced in April that it would be cutting 400 jobs in Grünheide.
Tesla is still planning to increase production in the future. The plant in Brandenburg is expected to produce two million cars per year. However, the first goal of one million cars has not yet been achieved. An expansion of the factory site to build a freight station and logistics areas is also controversial. The local council voted in favor of the development plan, but a public survey had opposed an expansion.
Source: Stern
