Photo voltaic panel large Qcells introduced right now that it’s quickly furloughing 1,000 US staff – 25% of its workforce – and lowering pay and shifts at its factories in northeast Georgia on account of provide chain delays brought on by US Customs.
Qcells furloughs 1,000 staff
The availability chain delays are hindering the corporate’s capacity to import parts to construct its photo voltaic panels. This has resulted in Qcells’ two factories in Cartersville and Dalton being unable to function at full capability for a number of months.
Qcells spokeswoman Marta Stoepker shared the next assertion in an unique with Channel 2 Motion Information in Atlanta:
The corporate says the furloughed staff, who have been notified this afternoon, will retain full advantages and gained’t be laid off. Nevertheless, Qcells will now not be utilizing staffing company staff in Georgia “right now.”
As Qcells launched new provide chains to assist its rising photo voltaic panel manufacturing amenities in Georgia, the corporate was lately compelled to reduce manufacturing whereas our shipments into the US have been delayed within the customs clearance course of.
Though our provide chain operations are starting to normalize, right now we shared with our staff that HR actions have to be taken to enhance operational effectivity till manufacturing capability returns to regular ranges.
Stoepker stated it expects to convey the furloughed staff again “within the coming weeks and months.” She continued:
Our dedication to constructing your entire photo voltaic provide chain in the US stays. We are going to quickly be again on monitor with the complete pressure of our Georgia workforce delivering American-made power to communities across the nation.
Electrek’s Take
In January 2023, the Seoul-headquartered Qcells introduced it might make investments greater than $2.5 billion to construct a photo voltaic provide chain in Georgia – the largest-ever funding in clear power manufacturing within the US thus far. That included increasing the Dalton photo voltaic manufacturing facility and constructing a completely built-in photo voltaic provide chain manufacturing facility in Cartersville, Georgia, that may manufacture photo voltaic ingots, wafers, cells, and completed panels.
It’s not fairly there but, as a result of that takes time. Within the meantime, it’s being penalized by Customs. The US authorities beneath Trump says it’s eager on boosting home manufacturing. Why wouldn’t it work towards an organization that’s onshoring a whole photo voltaic provide chain, together with recycling?
Dalton and Cartersville make use of practically 4,000 folks. Its whole output will attain 8.4 GW of photo voltaic manufacturing capability per 12 months, which is equal to just about 46,000 panels per day – sufficient to energy roughly 1.3 million properties yearly.
It’s ludicrous that it has been compelled to furlough 1 / 4 of its workforce because of the ineptness of the Trump administration’s US Customs insurance policies. That is proper up there with the ICE arrests at Hyundai’s plant in Georgia. Bravo.
Learn extra: Georgia offers US photo voltaic panel manufacturing a giant increase with a brand new manufacturing facility
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