Tons of castings appearing and disappearing

[AZCYBER]

Do you have any idea if these scrap castings can be repurposed for new raw material, or are they essentially one-and-done for production purposes?

Yes, scrap goes back into the melt pot.

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[intimidator]

According to this article https://www.teslarati.com/massive-batches-tesla-cybertruck-castings-giga-texas/ there were over a hundred castings on Friday that are gone and almost 100 appeared.

I'm guessing they put the castings outside to cool and then bring them in to build. Seems unoptimized.

But it sounds like they could be making a couple dozen a day.

I have not toured GigaTexas, and I have no idea what I am talking about, but it seems odd you make castings, then wheel them outside, and then wheel them back in to use them.

GigaTexas is a massive plant. Did they not have a plan for storing items before you need them?

Where else do manufacturers use the parking lot as part of their supply chain?

 

[WormtownKris]

I have not toured GigaTexas, and I have no idea what I am talking about, but it seems odd you make castings, then wheel them outside, and then wheel them back in to use them.

GigaTexas is a massive plant. Did they not have a plan for storing items before you need them?

Where else do manufacturers use the parking lot as part of their supply chain?

Freemont plant for one. ?
At Giga Texas, they have extensive Warehouse on Wheels (WoW) lots in two different locations. There, 48-foot trailers full of materials are stored short term, then wheeled over to the plant as needed. It is more efficient than filling the entire factory with supplies, or depending on an outside delivery and being out of stock until a delayed truck pulls in. I think stashing castings around the perimeter would be a similar but shorter process than the WoW for items manufactured on site and being used in a short period of time.

 

[cvalue13]

GigaTexas is a massive plant. Did they not have a plan for storing items before you need them?

again, these castings outside GFTX are largely if not entirely being sent to scrap

that’s why, btw, hundreds disappear overnight

can’t vouch for what’s gone on, eg, out in Fremont

 

[intimidator]

Freemont plant for one. ?
At Giga Texas, they have extensive Warehouse on Wheels (WoW) lots in two different locations. There, 48-foot trailers full of materials are stored short term, then wheeled over to the plant as needed. It is more efficient than filling the entire factory with supplies, or depending on an outside delivery and being out of stock until a delayed truck pulls in. I think stashing castings around the perimeter would be a similar but shorter process than the WoW for items manufactured on site and being used in a short period of time.

As you plan your factory, I can't believe they say ".....okay we are going to use trailers as part of our factory footprint....yeah just like the hoarders on American Pickers......yeah, that is what we are going to do. Just in time inventory Redneck style"

It might just be what they are doing....and something you can do in Texas, but could never do in Detroit with its weather.

 

[TheLastStarfighter]

Tesla is hilarious with some of their practices. At Freemont they have numerous processes outside or in "tents", some of which are permanent. They launched the S Plaid without trunk liners. I remember when Mercedes was a big investor in Tesla they supported the development of the Model S using S-class tech. Mercedes' QA guy wanted 2 years of testing the car before launch. Elon gave him 6 months, and dude pretty much had a heart attack. Elon said people will be fine with the car having problems as long as we fix them for free. They just want the car ASAP. Mercedes sold their stock, which now of course is worth more than all of MB.

The CT launch should be hilarious, with vehicles that will probably have a ton of flaws but still be awesome.

 

[WormtownKris]

As you plan your factory, I can't believe they say ".....okay we are going to use trailers as part of our factory footprint....yeah just like the hoarders on American Pickers......yeah, that is what we are going to do. Just in time inventory Redneck style"

It might just be what they are doing....and something you can do in Texas, but could never do in Detroit with its weather.

Warehouse on Wheels! 10 August 2022 Giga Texas Factory Construction Update (07:15AM) - YouTube Here is a 15-month-old video that Joe Tegtmeyer did that shows the Aug 2022 WoW (most of this has since moved across the highway to another spot) as well as a fairly detailed explanation for the logic of using a storage system like this. Intro from about 0:30 to 5:45 describes the WoW concept, and ~18:07- 19:30 shows the location of the trailer storage at that time. As they've completed more of the structures, the Austin WoW has grown in size, so they certainly think this concept works at least at this location.
If the castings we are discussing are not 100% scrap, it might be more efficient to keep them right at the factory vs loading them into trailers for a few days and then trucking them back across the property.
Cheers!

 

[alcstarheel]

Hopefully they're using the scrap for the tailgate ramp ?

 

[anionic1]

According to this article https://www.teslarati.com/massive-batches-tesla-cybertruck-castings-giga-texas/ there were over a hundred castings on Friday that are gone and almost 100 appeared.

I'm guessing they put the castings outside to cool and then bring them in to build. Seems unoptimized.

But it sounds like they could be making a couple dozen a day.

Well, you either let nature cool the casting or you pay for your hvac system to do it. I would let nature cool them.

 

[anionic1]

Freemont plant for one. ?
At Giga Texas, they have extensive Warehouse on Wheels (WoW) lots in two different locations. There, 48-foot trailers full of materials are stored short term, then wheeled over to the plant as needed. It is more efficient than filling the entire factory with supplies, or depending on an outside delivery and being out of stock until a delayed truck pulls in. I think stashing castings around the perimeter would be a similar but shorter process than the WoW for items manufactured on site and being used in a short period of time.

Why store a product under an expensive roof if it doesn’t need protection from the elements? It’s a better use of space. Who’s to say that this wasn’t their plan. Plus letting all that aluminum cool outdoors is much more energy efficient. There would be no way to take them right from the casting to assembly due to the heat. And I believe the castings are the bottleneck so they need to make as many as possible to keep up so they will need a surplus for as long as possible.

 

[CyberGus]

I don't hate the idea of letting the castings cool outside, BUT...

• Transporting them outside takes equipment and manpower (and then back again)
• Each trip has a non-zero risk of accidental damage
• They get dirty (does it matter? Maybe on areas that get fittings or adhesives?)
• In the Texas summer, they'll still be hot when they come back inside lol

I'd rather see them shuttled into a separate room that is isolated from the A/C, with intake/exhaust fans to let them cool to ambient. Or better yet, on carriers or a conveyor to minimize human interaction.

 

[charliemagpie]

They must have a good reason.

Its been discussed before, maybe they are stacking to allow for downtime.

Maybe they are stacking to allow for Model 2 test castings on the 16 ton.
....

1000 reasons... pick one lol

 

[Crissa]

I don't hate the idea of letting the castings cool outside, BUT...

• Transporting them outside takes equipment and manpower (and then back again)
• Each trip has a non-zero risk of accidental damage
• They get dirty (does it matter? Maybe on areas that get fittings or adhesives?)
• In the Texas summer, they'll still be hot when they come back inside lol

I'd rather see them shuttled into a separate room that is isolated from the A/C, with intake/exhaust fans to let them cool to ambient. Or better yet, on carriers or a conveyor to minimize human interaction.

Then you have to transport them to the special room.
And you still have to clean them, the air inside isn't cleaner than outside.
The outside here, is just on the other side of the door from the casting presses.

-Crissa

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