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Lucid looks like it may be making moves to insulate itself from the parts shortages that auto manufacturers have been wrestling with as a result of the pandemic by hiring some key individuals in one of the world's hottest technology locations. The company has recently been hit by a "fit and finish" parts issue causing delivery delays for some Dream Edition customers.
All of the jobs posted are located in Taipei, Taiwan's capital city and the epicenter of the nation's economic and technological fields. Taiwan is home to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, which supplies more than half of the world's chips, so it makes sense that Lucid would want boots on the ground where they can foster relationships with key players in the industry and try to guarantee a steady supply of components flowing back to AMP-1 in Arizona, and later to Saudi Arabia.
Lucid is reportedly aiming to integrate as much of its supply chain within its own operations as possible, and producing its own chips would be a huge advantage for the company because it could prioritize its own supply needs and sell surplus chips to other manufacturers. Lucid has a pair of aims with the positions advertised: to foster relationships and guarantee a steady supply from existing manufacturers, and to work towards developing its own proprietary technologies. This comes as Lucid looks to hire more production workers at home in Arizona.
Supply Chain Manager
First, there's the ad for a Global Supply Chain Manager PCBA. That stands for printed circuit board assembly, and tells us exactly what the new hire will be tasked with securing for Lucid. Duties include liaising with suppliers to make sure everything meet's Lucid's standards, identifying potential new suppliers, acquiring quotes for the company, and negotiating "favorable" contracts on parts pricing, tooling costs and engineering services. The Supply Chain Manager will also be responsible for working with suppliers and engineers to develop prototype parts and find solutions to problems or delays as they arise to keep supplies back to America arriving regularly. Full listing here.
Mechanical Engineer/Senior Mechanical Engineer - Electronic Modules for Electric Vehicles
I'm grouping these together because the job descriptions are the same, with the only different being the amount of experience required; three years for junior, five for senior. These people will be charged with the design and development of "high voltage/high power electrical unit packaging," like those found in an electric vehicles on-board charging system, or the DC to DC converter that reduces the high voltage power from the battery to the lower levels used to run headlights, window motors, and fans.
Infotainment is also mentioned in the postings, so the new hires will have to be able to work across a range of features on future Lucid vehicles while keeping an eye on cutting-edge trends in the industry and integrating them into future products as appropriate. Candidates of course need to be fluent in 3D CAD software, able to work with other departments, and lead failure analyses to find out why parts fail and how they can be prevented from doing so. Full listings here and here.
Insulating itself against supply chain headaches will be vital for Lucid as it ramps up production and aims to hit its target of building 20,000 vehicles in 2022. Establishing a well-managed presence in Taiwan should go a long way towards making this happen.
Related: Lucid Secures Next-Generation Semiconductors In Multi-Year Deal
Images by Lucid Motors, Pixabay, and Jeremy Waterhouse licensed by CC BY 2.0.
James Walker is an automotive journalist at Torque News focusing on Lucid Motors. If it's got wheels he's interested, and he's looking forward to seeing what kind of cars the EV revolution brings us. Whether it's fast, slow, new, or old, James wants to have a look around it and share it in print and on video, ideally with some twisty roads involved. You can connect with James on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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