On May 4th, Faraday Future announced the appointment of Rich Schmidt as the new Vice President of Manufacturing, responsible for leading FF’s manufacturing team and the factory in Hanford, California. He will oversee the development, parts and tooling management, and recruitment related to the production of the FF 91.
Rich replaces Mathias Hofmann, who has been serving as the Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain at FF for the past eight months and will continue in that role.
On April 14th, FF announced the completion of its first production vehicle, the FF 91 Futurist electric car, which rolled off the production line at the FF ieFactory California in Hanford. Prior to that, FF had just announced the start of production of the FF 91.
According to official information, Rich began his career at Toyota in Georgetown, Kentucky, where he worked for 16 years, mainly in manufacturing and engineering. After leaving Toyota, he led the start-up and smooth operation of several major OEMs in North America. He has worked in manufacturing and engineering departments at companies such as Nissan, Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Tesla. After leaving Tesla, Rich founded his own consulting company, providing consulting services to JD Powers, Kia Motors, Honda, Plastic Omnium, Gibson Guitar, and many other valuable partners. In addition, he has held manufacturing leadership positions at Lordstown Motors and Canoo.
“As FF ieFactory California’s production scale gradually expands, we are delighted to welcome Rich to our growing team,” said FF Global CEO Dr. Carsten Breitfeld. “Rich brings a wealth of experience to FF and will help oversee the manufacturing and delivery of FF’s flagship electric vehicle, the FF 91, and ensure that FF provides the best product to every valued user.”
