The chief of manufacturing at Rivian, an electric vehicle startup, is leaving to work at Stellantis, just as the manufacturer of Jeep SUVs and Ram pickup trucks is getting ready to introduce several battery-powered vehicles.
Stellantis announced in a statement that Tim Fallon would begin working for the company on September 2 as its head of manufacturing in North America.
In an internal email seen by Reuters, CEO RJ Scaringe of Rivian, which is best known for its R1S SUVs and R1T pickups, said that the company has engaged Carlo Materazzo, a former Stellantis executive, to lead logistics and oversee manufacturing short-term.
Fallon’s departure coincides with a pivotal moment for Rivian, as the business is growing its single plant in Normal, Illinois to manufacture the more affordable and smaller R2 SUV, which many observers believe is essential to its survival in the face of a decline in EV demand.
This year at Rivian, Fallon, a former Nissan executive, managed a manufacturing facility makeover that included a three-week shutdown of the Normal plant with the goal of streamlining production and cutting expenses. Weeks after Javier Varela, a former employee of Volvo, joined Rivian as its operations chief, he too made a transfer.
As we approach different levels of developing our business, we’ve had different executives,” a Rivian spokeswoman confirmed Fallon’s departure. “We’re positioning the organization structure for the future.”
Fallon becomes part of Stellantis “as we enter this critical stage of our transformation… with this year marking the start of our electric vehicle offensive,” according to the company’s chief operating officer for North America, Carlos Zarlenga.
