Rivian’s Normal, Illinois factory is an amazing place where the R1 series vehicles and EDP are assembled. But now it also has to deal with… bugs. Fortunately, the area where the bugs were spotted is now closed. Here’s what happened.
For the past week, rumors have been circulating about a new and unusual problem in Rivian’s plant in Normal. But executives didn’t want to worry investors and employees, so they hastily tackled the issue. In an email seen by Pantagraph, Zach Dietmeier, plant communications and policy manager, said the team had learned of failures observed with some forklifts.
While this didn’t worry anyone at first, sighting of some insects becomes a concern once they are classified as even slightly harmful. Unfortunately bed bugs are. Although they don’t transmit disease, they can spread quickly. This could lead to high destruction costs and staff problems. Nobody wants to take bed bugs home with them.
But Dietmeier said Rivian has identified the affected forklifts and hired professionals to deal with the matter. All vehicles were isolated as quickly as possible and thorough cleaning initiated. This announcement ended reports of bed bugs spreading through the factory. They were, as many expected, exaggerated.
Pest control activities continue in other areas of the Normal factory to ensure everyone gets to work safely and comfortably. Meanwhile, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been notified and updated on the progress.
People who live near the Normal factory and are familiar with the matter took to social media to say the issue revolves around just one employee who is said to have already been fired. The same people claim that the manager of this person was also fired. But keep in mind that these are just rumors and cannot be confirmed by anyone within Rivian at the time of writing.
Workers spoke anonymously to local media and told the American EV maker was first notified of bed bug sightings a little over a month ago. But the first checks revealed nothing to worry about. Now that the situation had deteriorated, Rivian promptly addressed the bug issues.
Finally, the company urged everyone to come forward if they saw anything unusual, but warned people about possible pranks related to the matter. “Please remember that misinformation is harmful and violates our code of conduct,” it said in an email to employees.
