It’s not unusual for employees at various companies worldwide to take a few office supplies. After all, who will notice a missing pencil or a few sheets of printer paper? However, Tesla’s factory in Germany is facing a larger issue – the disappearance of around 65,000 coffee mugs.
During a staff meeting, Andre Thierig, the plant manager of Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, addressed some of the facility’s 12,000 staff members. Amid discussions about worker safety and pay, Thierig raised concerns about the missing coffee mugs, according to a recording obtained by Handelsblatt.
“We’ve bought 65,000 coffee mugs since we started production here,” Thierig stated, as reported by DW. “Statistically speaking, each of you already has five Ikea coffee cups at home.”
Frustrated by the thefts, Thierig warned that he might remove cutlery from the break room if the situation continued. Employees responded to his comments with laughter and applause, temporarily diverting attention from more serious issues.
Nevertheless, coffee mugs are the least of Tesla’s concerns in Germany. The company has faced protests from climate groups, including one called the Volcano Group, which attacked an electricity transmission tower over Tesla’s expansion plans that involve clearing forest space. Despite the protests, local officials eventually approved Tesla’s plans, albeit with some delays.
In April, Tesla laid off approximately 400 workers at the German plant as part of CEO Elon Musk’s cost-cutting measures, according to Reuters. Globally, the automaker has laid off at least 14,000 employees.
Further complicating matters, the German plant has been accused of violating environmental laws, health regulations, and worker safety protections since it began production two years ago. Stern reported last year that Tesla had three times more emergencies compared to Audi’s plant in Ingolstadt.
“While the whole world thinks we are only busy with mugs, we actually care about the most important asset of our Gigafactory – our people. We listened to their feedback and finally finished our newest employee facility,” Thierig wrote on LinkedIn on Thursday, referring to media reports on the topic. Tesla recently celebrated the “pre-opening” of its new “Giga Gym,” Thierig announced.