Trying to improve output, they claim.
Tesla says that it has temporarily halted production of its popular entry-level Model 3 saloon at its Fremont factory, in order to fix some issues that have hampered the output pace. However, while the company says that this is “common” during scale-up phases, it’s taken some staff by surprise.
The company says that the temporary freeze on Model 3 production will help them sort out some niggles that have contributed to the production bottlenecks that have plagued the Model 3 since its launch. This is the second time the Model 3 production line has been paused this year, with an earlier freeze in February that was attributed to the same motivations.
Interestingly though, BuzzFeed reports that Tesla workers weren’t given ample warning regarding the shutdown. As a result, employees that spoke to the portal said that the company expects them to use their annual leave through the 4-5 day shutdown period, or stay home without salary. A small number have reportedly been offered paid work, but in other parts of the production facility.
The Model S and Model X face a rather different situation however, with Tesla saying that the production lines for the company’s two poshest models will be working through the weekends in June. Extra hours will be paid overtime, though a number of employees claim that the weekend shifts “are mandatory.”
Just 220 Model 3s were delivered last year, falling far short of the 1500 that the company had intended to deliver before the end of 2017, though production has now ramped up to about 2,000/week as of the end of March. More good, the 15,200 Model S saloons and 13,120 Model X crossovers that were delivered in 2017 contributed to a total number of 29,870 cars delivered, in line with industry projections for the firm.
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