Rivian Chief Manufacturing Officer Tim Fallon Leaves for Stellantis

A top Rivian Automotive executive is leaving the company after two years to oversee manufacturing operations in North America and join another automaker, Stellantis NV.

Tim Fallon has served as vice president of manufacturing at Rivian since early 2022. Prior to that, he spent more than 16 years at Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. in several plant management positions.

He replaces Mike Resha, head of North American manufacturing since 2020, who is taking on a global leadership role for Stellantis’ injection and stamping operations. The change is effective Sept. 2.

Bloomberg reported that Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe confirmed Fallon’s departure in a message to employees and said that Carlo Materazzo, vice president of supply chain and logistics, would lead the company’s manufacturing operations on an interim basis.

The move comes as Rivian prepares to begin construction on a 1.3 million-square-foot expansion to accommodate production of its newest model, the R2 sport utility vehicle. Development plans for the site were approved by the Normal City Council on Monday.

Fallon has been a frequent presence at community events in Bloomington-Normal, where Rivian employs more than 8,000 people. Just last month, he performed in the dunk tank at Normal’s third annual Family and Friends Day.

In April, he told The Pantagraph that the decision to move R2 production to Normal was a testament to “everything the workers here have done.” The original plan was to move it to a yet-to-be-built plant in Georgia.

“We’ve doubled production in the last year, our quality has continued to improve and we’ve proven that we really are a world-class manufacturing facility here,” Fallon said at the time, speaking at an open house in Uptown Normal to showcase the company’s upcoming R2, R3 and R3X crossover models.

During the same interview, Fallon said he personally drove the R1T, the company’s signature electric pickup truck. When asked about his favorite features, he mentioned the vehicle’s spacious front cargo area for storage and its “camper mode,” which allowed it to level out even on an incline.

But the most important thing was the performance: “Really, the performance we have is just incredible,” he said at the time. “And if you’ve had a chance to experience it, you really know that feeling, that instant torque. … I love it.”

At Stellantis, Fallon will oversee 34 manufacturing facilities across the United States, Canada and Mexico. These include assembly plants that produce Jeep, Ram, Chrysler and Dodge vehicles, as well as various facilities that produce engines, transmissions, machine tools, stamping and more.

Fallon arrives at a difficult time for the company, including at its North American plants, as executives try to manage production rates amid sluggish sales and a bloated vehicle inventory. CEO Carlos Tavares recently raised concerns about U.S. production issues, including quality problems at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant that builds the Ram pickups, where it is set to arrive Friday.

The United Auto Workers union is concerned about moving more production to Mexico and this week criticized the company for delaying a promised reopening of a large plant in Belvidere, a town of about 25,000 people near Rockford.

“Tim brings his relentless pursuit of operational excellence and extensive manufacturing experience, including electric vehicle production, to Stellantis as we enter this critical phase of our transformation,” Carlos Zarlenga, Stellantis’ North America chief operating officer, said in a statement.

He noted that the company is launching an “electric vehicle offensive” this year, with models including the electric Ram 1500 REV and the electric Dodge Charger Daytona coming soon.

Pantagraph editor Allison Petty and Bloomberg contributed to this article.