Tim Fallon, Rivian's vice president of manufacturing, is leaving the electric-vehicle maker to become head of manufacturing in North America at Stellantis, which has two assembly plants and a castings plant in Ontario.
Fallon led manufacturing at Rivian for two years, according to an internal memo from CEO RJ Scaringe. He spent 16 years at Nissan Motor Co. before joining Rivian.
A Rivian spokesperson confirmed his departure Aug. 20.
Fallon joins Stellantis at the onset of its EV blitz in North America. The automaker is preparing to launch several EVs in the coming months, including the Jeep Wagoneer S, Ram 1500 REV and the first Dodge Charger EV, which is assembled in Windsor, Ont.
The automaker also has been contending with manufacturing issues in the region. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said in July that U.S. assembly plants are producing too many vehicles that need repairs before they can be shipped to dealerships, pointing to the Ram 1500 plant in Sterling Heights, Mich., as one of the main culprits.
"Tim brings his relentless pursuit of operational excellence and strong track record of manufacturing experience, including electric vehicle production, to Stellantis as we enter this critical stage of our transformation," Carlos Zarlenga, Stellantis' North America COO, said in a statement. "With this year marking the start of our electric vehicle offensive, I have full confidence that Tim's passion and collaborative spirit will lead the team to deliver the highest quality vehicles for our customers."
Fallon replaces Mike Resha, who has spearheaded North America manufacturing for Stellantis since 2020. Resha will assume global responsibility for injection and stamping operations. Resha was in charge of global press shops and dies before leading North America manufacturing. The executive appointments for both Resha and Fallon are effective Sept. 2, Stellantis said.
Fallon was instrumental in ramping up Rivian's plant in Normal, Ill., Scaringe said in the memo.
Rivian retooled its plant in April for lower production costs and to freshen the R1T pickup and R1S crossover for the 2025 model year. It also makes delivery vans for Amazon, its largest shareholder.
"Our manufacturing operation has made tremendous progress during the past few years. Our continued progress is critical for us as we focus on executing on our path to profitability," Scaringe said in the memo.
Carlo Materazzo, vice president of supply chain and logistics, will lead Rivian's manufacturing in the interim, Scaringe said. Materazzo joined Rivian in November after leadership roles on the manufacturing team at Stellantis.
Fallon's departure marks the latest leadership shuffle at the automaker. Rivian's sales chief, Kjell Gruner, resigned in July after 11 months with the EV maker. He will stay with Rivian until February to assist with the transition.
