Photo: Tesla

Most of us think of Tesla as a company that makes cars and great software for them. In addition, the company also produces energy storage and solar-related products and will soon start full-scale production of its own battery cells for vehicles. However, with our focus on cars and software, we should not forget about Tesla's biggest and most complex product: the Gigafactory.

The hallmark of Tesla Gigafactories is the intelligent automation of the manufacturing process. After all, all of the company's cars are manufactured using artificial intelligence and automation: "the machine that builds the machine.” In 2016, at the shareholders meeting, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said:

“We have realized the true problem, the true difficulty, and where the greatest potential is, is building the machine that builds the machine. In other words, building the factory and really thinking of the factory like a product...

I actually think that the potential improvement in the machine that makes the machine is a factor of 10 times greater than the potential on the car side.”

By 2018, Tesla's factory in Fremont, California was already one of the most advanced automobile plants in the world. The company has clearly dedicated itself to creating the world's most automated production systems. In 2019, the Shanghai factory was built with experience and state-of-the-art machines that made the vehicles. Tesla today shared a video of how a stamping shop works on a production line of made-in-China Model Y.

Also, Model 3 frunks pic.twitter.com/Up848EP3mk

— Tesla (@Tesla) January 24, 2021

The company's secret is that the factories are autonomous. Gigafactories have all the necessary equipment to independently produce the components for their products. Much of Tesla's supply chain is owned by the company. And each unit in the company's supply chain makes its own products. Products are then combined to meet a common need.

Musk is actively developing solutions for industrial automation. He acknowledges that intelligent automation—to reduce costs and increase efficiency—requires new approaches and a constantly revised, forward-looking vision for an automated future. This is why Tesla's factories are so different from the factories of other automakers.

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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter

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