Current state of the Warsaw manufacturing assembly plant (by Barman in Newsweek article)

[Adam W]

Slate Accelerates Toward Full-Scale Electric Truck Manufacturing
https://www.newsweek.com/slate-accelerates-toward-full-scale-electric-truck-manufacturing-12149591

Newsweek interviewed Chris Barman, who gives detailed milestone timelines for the remaining pieces of the manufacturig plant to come online.

Highlights as of July 2026:

• Body shop is fully complete and operational
• E-coating area is 70% installed, will be complete by end of summer
• They're building a trestle to move vehicles from the west building to the East, completion end of summer. It's not real clear what activities take place in the east building.
• General Assembly area nearly complete with four lines
• Seat line starts installation in a week or two.
• Wheel and tire operations in place by end of summer

 

[tubes]

"End of Summer" seems to be the mantra. So, September 20.

Some talk of welds by both Barman and the writer, that is, get those welds right. Ultrasonic inspections, measurements, etc. This may explain the welds seen on the body-in-white in some of the demos. Probably hand made and not indicative of the final outcome.

 

[Frozen North]

Slate Accelerates Toward Full-Scale Electric Truck Manufacturing
https://www.newsweek.com/slate-accelerates-toward-full-scale-electric-truck-manufacturing-12149591

Newsweek interviewed Chris Barman, who gives detailed milestone timelines for the remaining pieces of the manufacturig plant to come online.

Highlights as of July 2026:

• Body shop is fully complete and operational
• E-coating area is 70% installed, will be complete by end of summer
• They're building a trestle to move vehicles from the west building to the East, completion end of summer. It's not real clear what activities take place in the east building.
• General Assembly area nearly complete with four lines
• Seat line starts installation in a week or two.
• Wheel and tire operations in place by end of summer

Good read, thanks for posting that for us hungry Slate information devourerers.

 

[Shrink36s]

The General Assembly area of the plant is nearly ready with all four lines of trim in place. “We're doing a lot of the building of the structure where it's needed around [those lines], ...

The four lines of trim is interesting. Does that mean Blank, Square SUV, Fastback SUV, Open Air or maybe Cargo?
Maybe this is just 4 lines that put on/build out 4 different areas of trim across the one sku?

 

[fxrdr31]

The four lines of trim is interesting. Does that mean Blank, Square SUV, Fastback SUV, Open Air or maybe Cargo?
Maybe this is just 4 lines that put on/build out 4 different areas of trim across the one sku?

They probably all build the base slate but might just install different things on each line. It is still 1 continuous line but zig zags back and forth and each time it's called a new trim line at least that is how a traditional Assembly line is from what I see

 

[CALLIGRA]

The four lines of trim is interesting. Does that mean Blank, Square SUV, Fastback SUV, Open Air or maybe Cargo?
Maybe this is just 4 lines that put on/build out 4 different areas of trim across the one sku?

Unlikely, 4 lines of GA includes stuff like installing brakes, wiring harnesses, dampers, windshields, etc.

If they do build other spec vehicles on the line it will be done by kitting different parts to the line whilst using the same line

Having said that; what is sounding far more likely is that the production line will be building 1 base spec vehicle with an EOL (end of line) team bolting on the add on parts after GA

the EOL area is possibly what we see in this section of the "a new day in Warsaw" having said that this could also be a training area for new assembly or service techs

 

[E90400K]

I still don't understand why Slate is building its own seats.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I sat in a demonstrator last summer and found those seats very comfortable. Those seats didn't have the prominent side bolsters, and I personally prefer the previous version.