After being forced to shut down Giga Shanghai for 22 days in March and April due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in the area, Tesla will be shutting down the factory again in July. However this time it is a planned shutdown and will only last for four days.
According to an internal email from Tesla China’s Human Resources Department, the factory will be shut down from July 1 until July 4, 2022 to allow for a capacity upgrade. (h/t: @ChrisZeng001)
The email goes on to explain the shutdown requires staff to adjust their schedules accordingly by either using annual leave, shifting to other work areas, working from home, or working at an office outside of Giga Shanghai.
Shutting down their factories for equipment maintenance and upgrades like this is a regular occurrence, and should not significantly impact Giga Shanghai’s production numbers, especially considering the factory will likely be able to produce more cars once it is complete.
Last year Tesla started a $188 million production line optimization project at the Shanghai facility which focused on increasing the hours of production, increasing the number of employees at the factory, as well as increasing their supply chain turnover rate.
Since reopening in March after the COVID shutdown, crews have worked hard to ramp production to pre-shutdown levels. Despite operating under a closed-loop system with a reduced number of workers, the factory was able to produce 33,544 vehicles in May.
Tesla is aiming even higher for June, with reports indicating the automaker is targeting to build 71,000 vehicles this month, a figure that would set a new all-time high for Giga Shanghai.
Tesla China sales remain steady even with 10-day Giga Shanghai shut down
