Tesla buys automated manufacturing firm as it struggles with production
Tesla has announced it’s buying Perbix, a private machining firm that makes automated equipment for factories. According to a report from CNBC, Perbix has been a Tesla supplier for almost three years, but the acquisition will allow the carmaker to bring the production of more parts in-house. Tesla described the deal as a step further in its long-stated ambition to “build the machine that makes the machine.”
The acquisition comes in the middle of a spell of bad news for Tesla production. Last week, the company reported a massive $619 million quarterly loss, and said it would no longer be able to meet its goal of producing 5,000 Model 3 sedans per week in 2017. On Twitter, Tesla CEO Elon Musk blamed the production problems on unspecified “b…
