Tesla has recruited a well-seasoned professional in the field of automotive parts manufacturing, who will lead Gigafactory-related operations in the United States.
The new exec is Dr. Michael Schmitt, who worked for car parts supplier Bosch for the past 25 years and has been an important part of the German company’s manufacturing efforts on multiple continents, including Asia, Europe, and North America.
Schmitt, who recently updated his LinkedIn profile with the new role at Tesla as Director Operations Gigafactory, as seen by Electrek, was the lead figure at Bosch’s automotive-related factory in China for almost 5 years in the 2000s.
Then, he took on the role of Technical Plant Manager and later General Manager of Bosch Mexico, leading four automotive plants in the United States and Mexico, specializing in electrical drives and powertrain solutions, among other things, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Before joining Tesla, Schimtt was the chief operating officer of Bosch Rexroth, leading operations and research and development for factory automation and hydraulics in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
With a doctorate of natural sciences in Technical Physics and Applied Physics from the University of Darmstadt in Germany, Tesla’s latest high-profile hire seems like the right choice, considering its ambitious plan of ramping up production from 2 million vehicles per year to 20 million units per year by the end of the decade.
Yesterday, we wrote about another exec joining the company’s ranks, with Michael Hildebrand getting the role of "Leader of Gigafactory Nevada Expansion Engineering and Construction." Previously, Hildebrand spent 19 years working for pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, where he was most recently executive director of projects.
At the beginning of the year, the Elon Musk-led EV brand announced a $3.6 billion investment at its Nevada facility, which will result in the first high-volume Tesla Semi plant and a 4680 cell factory capable of churning out 100 gigawatt-hours worth of batteries every year, all while creating an additional 3,000 jobs.
As always, we’d like to know what you think about this, so head over to the comments section below to give us your thoughts.
