Tesla's Berlin Factory in Trouble Again The 'Mug Disappearance Case' and Beyond
TapTechNews July 15th news, Tesla's Berlin Gigafactory has recently been embroiled in a闹剧-like mug disappearance case. It is reported that more than 65,000 mugs have strangely disappeared in the factory, which has made factory manager Andre Thierig quite a headache. He helplessly said at an employee meeting: I'm really tired of constantly approving orders to purchase mugs!
Statistics show that these mugs were not lost in a short period but over a fairly long time. Thierig even quipped: On average, now every employee may have stockpiled 5 IKEA mugs at home.
It is not yet clear whether Tesla has printed the company logo on these mugs or whether they directly use the original IKEA packaging. However, even if calculated based on the cheapest IKEA Vardera series (priced at 2 euros), Tesla's missing mugs are at least worth 130,000 euros (TapTechNews note: currently about 1.03 million yuan). However, considering daily wear and tear, some mugs may eventually be discarded and not all taken home by employees.
The Tesla Berlin Gigafactory currently has 12,000 employees. Since it started production on March 22, 2022, it has been more than two years. That is to say, on average, nearly 8 mugs will be lost in the factory every day.
In the face of the strange mug disappearance incident, Tesla has not launched an investigation and has no plan to check employees' luggage after work. However, they still call on employees to stop taking the company's tableware. Tesla even threatened that if the theft does not stop, disposable tableware provided in the lounge, such as forks and spoons, will be cancelled.
In fact, the Tesla Berlin Gigafactory has been in trouble continuously since it started production. According to the German website Berliner Zeitung, due to the strong dissatisfaction of employees with the working conditions in the factory, there have been disputes between the trade union and Tesla's management all the time. Workers said they face bullying behavior and are under excessive pressure from the management due to safety accidents in the factory.
In early March this year, the attack by environmental activists even led to the suspension of the factory. Radical elements set fire to a high-voltage power tower, resulting in a power outage for the entire factory and the production being forced to be interrupted for several hours.
Compared to恶性 events such as arson attacks, the mug disappearance case seems a bit lesser. In recent months, like other factories, the Tesla Berlin Gigafactory has also carried out layoffs, and more than 10% of employees worldwide have been fired. However, obviously, stealing mugs is not the reason for them to lose their jobs.