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Tesla acquires Grohmann Engineering GMBH; Gigafactory 2 in Europe

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  • Tesla acquires Grohmann Engineering GMBH; Gigafactory 2 in Europe

    Creating Tesla Advanced Automation Germany and Tesla Grohmann Germany GMBH

    This is related to what Musk discussed at this year's shareholders meeting; getting an order of magnitude improvement in 'the machine that builds the machine,' the factory.

    Musk also announced Tesla Gigafactory 2 will be built in Europe, with the location to be announced next year.

    Company Overview

    Grohmann Engineering GmbH develops, supplies, and services production systems. Its products include assembly systems, placement machines, singulation machines, laser and bonding systems, test and thermal systems, liquid dispensing systems, product handling and tape application systems, flexfoil process equipment, fiber laying and coating systems, automated fiber-end finishing systems, terminal assembly systems, bonding and micro-molding systems, in-line assembly and molding systems, sealers, and machine platforms. The company serves automotive, telecommunications, consumer electronics, and biotechnical industries. Grohmann Engineering GmbH is based in Prüm, Germany. It has service and support centers in the Northern United States, Canada, China, Costa Rica, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom/Ireland, South America, Australia, Scandinavia, Malaysia, and South Africa.
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohns.../#79a7c9362d84

    Formation of Tesla Advanced Automation Germany

    The Tesla Team
    November 8, 2016

    Accelerating a sustainable energy future is only possible with high-volume factories. They allow us to manufacture high-quality products with economies of scale, making them more affordable and accessible to the world. As the machine that builds the machine, our factories are so important that we believe they will ultimately deserve an order of magnitude more attention in engineering than what they produce. At very high production volumes, the factory becomes more of a product than the product itself.

    After increasing our output target to 500,000 cars per year by 2018, we began searching for the best engineering talent in automated manufacturing systems. Today, we are excited to announce that Tesla has entered into an agreement to acquire Grohmann Engineering, a world-renowned engineering company in Prüm, Germany, which will become Tesla Grohmann Automation.

    Led by founder and CEO Klaus Grohmann, Grohmann Engineering is one of the world leaders in highly automated methods of manufacturing. This transaction will bring Mr. Grohmanns leadership, a world-class team and unique expertise in-house. Moreover, it will serve as the initial base for Tesla Advanced Automation Germany headquarters, with other locations to follow. We expect to add over 1,000 advanced engineering and skilled technician jobs in Germany over the next two years.

    Under the continued leadership of Mr. Grohmann, several critical elements of Teslas automated manufacturing systems will be designed and produced in Prüm to help make our factories the most advanced in the world. Combined with our California and Michigan engineering facilities, as well as other locations to follow, we believe the result will yield exponential improvements in the speed and quality of production, while substantially reducing the capital expenditures required per vehicle.

    To date, we have increased the production rate at our Fremont Factory by 400% in four years, and we expect this acquisition to accelerate that growth rate. While the agreement is contingent upon clearance from regulators, including in Germany, we hope to have full approval and close the acquisition in early 2017. We are excited to have the Grohmann team join us in our goal of becoming the best manufacturer in the world to help accelerate the world's progress to a sustainable energy future.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

  • #2
    More details from Ars....

    http://arstechnica.com/cars/2016/11/...s-the-machine/

    Elon Musk eyes alien dreadnought automated factory with engineering firm deal

    >
    Tesla CEO has focused building a next-generation factory since the difficult launch of the Model X last year, which saw Tesla struggling to meet demand for the car from its Fremont, CA factory. In comments to press and on earnings calls, Musk has emphasized that the companys factories will become more and more automated. In an August earnings call, the CEO said he wanted to build Tesla factories that look like an "alien dreadnought," and to perfect "the machine that makes the machine."

    The company has also been under pressure from investors to ramp up its auto production significantly after promising an output target of 500,000 cars by 2018. In October, Tesla announced that it would likely hit its goal of 50,000 in 2016.

    In a blog post announcing the proposed acquisition today, Tesla said that its Fremont factory, which was founded in 2010, had already increased production by 400 percent in the last four years.

    Factory automation is already a big component of the companys brand new Gigafactory outside of Reno, NV, where Tesla batteries are made. In July, Musk told USA Today that the factory itself is a product, it's the machine that builds the machines and demands more problem solving than the product it makes."

    In an interview with CNBC last week, speaking about the future of automation, Musk said that robots will take so many of our jobs that a universal basic income might be required.

    According to Techcrunch, Tesla CTO JB Straubel said that "Tesla has been working with Grohmann in a partnership for the past few months, and found that the teams complemented each other well and were achieving a lot in terms of automation improvements, and determined they could do even more as a combined company."

    It is unclear how much Tesla has offered for Grohmann Engineering, and the deal will have to be approved by US and German regulators. Still, Tesla says its confident the deal will close sometime in early 2017.
    >
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

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