A Riveting "Truckside" Chat

[BrayBay]

I have no idea why I clicked this YouTube video at all, but I'm glad I did. It is apparently an interview with Cox Automotive and RJ Scaringe that I had not seen this posted on the forums yet. Already timestamped to skip the Korean introduction.



No big surprises in this interview, but I did take away a couple of interesting points:

• The Georgia factory will be approximately 15 million square feet, and will be the biggest building in the country (can someone verify?)
• Sustainable food production and education is something RJ Scaringe also thinks about.

Sponsored

 

[the long way downunder]

Good to see Rivian communications at work.

 

[LoneStar]

Good to see Rivian communications at work.

At least the Korean branch is on top of their game!

 

[COdogman]

I’m sure plans are changing all the time, but according to this article the GA site will include 20 million sf spread over 13 buildings. The current largest single building in the US is the Boeing factory in WA with 4.2 million sf.

https://electrek.co/2022/01/12/rivi...mplete-with-a-test-track-and-adventure-trail/

 

[SeaGeo]

The current largest single building in the US is the Boeing factory in WA with 4.2 million sf.

The boeing plant is f***n massive and very cool to tour.

For context, IIRC, the parking lot at disney land would fit inside the Boeing plant.

 

[BigE]

I’m sure plans are changing all the time, but according to this article the GA site will include 20 million sf spread over 13 buildings. The current largest single building in the US is the Boeing factory in WA with 4.2 million sf.

https://electrek.co/2022/01/12/rivi...mplete-with-a-test-track-and-adventure-trail/

Isn’t Tesla’s new Austin factory close to 8.5 Million sq ft? And it’s already producing Model Y less than 2 years from ground breaking.

 

[COdogman]

Isn’t Tesla’s new Austin factory close to 8.5 Million sq ft? And it’s already producing Model Y less than 2 years from ground breaking.

I guess it depends on one’s definition of “largest”. Wiki splits it into 3 categories and who knows which one the Rivian factory would fit into:

Largest usable space (volume) = Boeing factory WA 4.2 million sf

Largest footprint (edges of building’s foundation) = Windset Farms Greenhouse in Santa Maria CA 5.9 million sf. That ranks second in the world to the AvtoVaz Lada car factory in Russia with 9.5 million sf.

largest floor area (including multiple stories) = Tesla Giga in Austin TX 8 million sf. That is only 14th on this list. The New Century Global Center in China has 18.9 million sf.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_buildings

 

[COdogman]

The boeing plant is f***n massive and very cool to tour.

For context, IIRC, the parking lot at disney land would fit inside the Boeing plant.

Next time I’m up there I’ll have to check that out!

 

[IlliniRivian]

Around the 16 minute mark, RJ said he moved to IL to help launch that facility and plans to move to GA to ramp up that facility. How many CEOs are out moving from facility to facility to launch it?

I think this statement shows part of the problem. RJ clearly has a vision for the company but he has no prior experience building out supply chain, manufacturing, etc. The best leaders know what they know and hire people that know other things better than they do. Bluntly, at this stage, not sure RJ knows how to hire on the operating side of a company (manufacturing, supply chain, communications) although he seems to get the engineering. RJ has had so much success, so young, I am worried he doesn't see where Rivian is failing and falling short.

I could see a day sooner rather than later where RJ is Chief Product Officer and Chairman but forced out as CEO by the big investors.

 

[Max]

.

Isn’t Tesla’s new Austin factory close to 8.5 Million sq ft? And it’s already producing Model Y less than 2 years from ground breaking.

Just for perspective on size of Giga Texas. And I have visited Boeing and I thought that was ridiculously large.

 

[SeaGeo]

Next time I’m up there I’ll have to check that out!

You should. The tour is pretty cool.

 

[mgc0216]

The boeing plant is f***n massive and very cool to tour.

For context, IIRC, the parking lot at disney land would fit inside the Boeing plant.

There isn't really a substantial parking lot at Disneyland any longer - There used to be way back in the day, but then they built california adventure on that plot of land (so, yes it was massive). They have a smaller lot up the road a bit and then a pretty big parking structure as well.

Mike - who has held a Disneyland annual pass for years even though he lives in Oregon and who wants to roadtrip his R1S down to Anaheim almost as soon as it's delivered.

 

[COdogman]

There isn't really a substantial parking lot at Disneyland any longer - There used to be way back in the day, but then they built california adventure on that plot of land (so, yes it was massive). They have a smaller lot up the road a bit and then a pretty big parking structure as well.

Mike - who has held a Disneyland annual pass for years even though he lives in Oregon and who wants to roadtrip his R1S down to Anaheim almost as soon as it's delivered.

 

[majorfriend]

I'll be in Seattle this spring. Was hoping to do a Boeing plant tour, but doesn't look like they are currently offering them.

 

[Guy]

Around the 16 minute mark, RJ said he moved to IL to help launch that facility and plans to move to GA to ramp up that facility. How many CEOs are out moving from facility to facility to launch it?

I think this statement shows part of the problem. RJ clearly has a vision for the company but he has no prior experience building out supply chain, manufacturing, etc. The best leaders know what they know and hire people that know other things better than they do. Bluntly, at this stage, not sure RJ knows how to hire on the operating side of a company (manufacturing, supply chain, communications) although he seems to get the engineering. RJ has had so much success, so young, I am worried he doesn't see where Rivian is failing and falling short.

I could see a day sooner rather than later where RJ is Chief Product Officer and Chairman but forced out as CEO by the big investors.

RJ has done well with the engineering and product development. He (or people chosen by him) have done a less stellar job at communications and manufacturing. I can see Amazon and the other big share holders (who own over a third of the company) pushing for a strong, experienced COO like Cook was to Jobs. The firing of the VP of manufacturing may have been the first sign of this and the delay in replacing the “retiring” COO late last year.

Time will tell but it could get interesting later this year.

Sponsored