Rivian's Plant Has Bugs - Literally

Rivian's plant in Normal, Illinois, had experienced a bedbug incident, forcing the company to call in pest control. The automaker has had its ups and downs in recent months, and just as we thought the fledgling EV manufacturer was on the right path, another issue has reared its ugly head. This comes after the same factory facedsignificant worker backlashfor safety violations just last month. The latest incident couldn't come at a worse time: Rivian is struggling to meet the耸人听闻的需求for itsR1Tpickup andR1S年代UV.

Fortunately, the issue does not appear to be widespread. Rivian toldThe Pantagraphthat the infestation is in an isolated area of the plant, but the company will still feel the bite of slower productivity rates while the issue gets sorted.

The bed bugs seem to have overrun a forklift in an isolated area of the plant, but Rivian has already sprung to action. "These impacted teams have been notified," Zach Dietmeier, the senior manager of plant communications, toldThe Pantagraph. "We investigate every report and take appropriate actions per our pest control contractor."

According to Dietmeier, Rivian has quarantined and treated the affected forklifts and is taking preventative measures to ensure that this type of issue doesn't return to the plant. Rivian has taken further steps to sanitize its tuggers and transportation shuttles and aims to fumigate all of its warehouse spaces by the end of the month.