埃隆·马斯克着眼于与工程公司交易的“外星无畏舰”自动化工厂

Tuesday morning announcement: Tesla announced reaching an agreement to acquire German firm Grohmann Engineering. The resulting company will be Tesla Grohmann Automation and form the basis for a new headquarters called Tesla Advanced Automation Germany. It hopes to build more such centers globally.
- Keep founder in charge: Grohmann founder and CEO Klaus Grohmann will remain in charge at the Prüm site. Critical elements of Tesla's automated manufacturing systems will be designed and produced there to make factories the most advanced. It's expected to lead to exponential improvements in production speed and quality and reduce capital expenditures per vehicle.
Factory automation focus: Tesla CEO has been focused on building a next-generation factory since the difficult launch of the Model X. He emphasized the need for more factory automation in comments and earnings calls. In an August earnings call, he wanted to build factories like an "alien dreadnought" and perfect "the machine that makes the machine."
Production pressure and goals: Under pressure from investors to ramp up auto production significantly, Tesla promised an output target of 500,000 cars by 2018. In October, it announced it might hit the 2016 goal of 50,000. Its Fremont factory, founded in 2010, has increased production by 400 percent in the last four years.
Gigafactory and automation: Factory automation is a big part of the new Gigafactory outside Reno, NV, where Tesla batteries are made. In July, Musk said the factory is a product that builds machines and demands more problem-solving.
Automation interview: In a CNBC interview last week, Musk said robots taking many jobs might require a universal basic income.
CTO's view: Tesla CTO JB Straubel said the company has been working with Grohmann in a partnership for months and found the teams complemented each other well and could achieve more together.
Deal details: It's unclear how much Tesla offered for Grohmann Engineering, and the deal needs US and German regulator approval. Tesla is confident it will close in early 2017. Tesla also bid to acquire SolarCity, and the deal has been approved by regulators, with investors voting on November 17.