Elon Musk is obsessed with speed. From rockets to hyperloops, to electric cars ... we can say that in fact, speed is a bit of a cup of tea.
Now he would like to apply the same scheme to the production line.
Her detractors say it is a dream drawn by the hair ... born of a pure necessity. Tesla, its controversial automotive company, is expected to deliver 400,000 vehicles by 2018. Yet the annual production of the brand's cars has never exceeded 100,000.
Elon Musk, however, sees far beyond wage earners. According to him, the future is the complete automation of the production chain.
More than 100 years ago, chain work revolutionized industrial production. Our time is invaded by technology: intelligent software, sensors, fast robotics and precision ... These various technologies guarantee an exponential production.
Human beings, at least those who screw bolts or work metal, become superfluous.
This is not science fiction. Elon Musk already has big plans for factories encumbered by human physical limits.
In Tesla's specifications, in July 2016, the billionaire planned to transform the plant into a machine. He even called it "the alien Dreadnought", the machine that makes machines.
According to his calculations, Dreadnought 3.0 should increase production five to ten times in a few years. Version 0.5 of this project will be launched in 2017 with the start of production of the Tesla 3. Expect version 1.0 for 2018, when new equipment will be installed in the factories.
In 2016, Elon Musk made sure that he was able to quickly reach these "future" plant goals, notably by acquiring the German company Grohmann Engineering, an automation specialist.
With 580 giant robotic arms, Tesla plants already have advanced technologies that push the human limits. At the Fremont, California plant, production has increased 400% since 2012. And employees - human, of course - have complained repeatedly at a frantic pace.
Dreadnought will palliate their weaknesses. Indeed, robots will act and move so quickly and efficiently that humans will not be safe within the factory. A reduced workforce of engineers will thus supervise the production, remaining within reach.
This would represent the biggest advance in car production since Toyota introduced Just-In-Time in 1992. The idea? Produce cars as required, minimizing waste and maximizing automation.
Most of the benefits can be predetermined through computer computing power, data analysis, and modeling software. Robotic manufacturers can build exactly what they need - and control it using incredibly sophisticated software.
A new industrial revolution is on the way, it will bring extraordinary profitability and infinite possibilities for investors.
Dreadnought is the first step. Eliminating human action, at least in theory, would significantly increase production.
Engineering would be the middle part of production. The materials would go on one side and the finished cars would come out of the other.
It's easy to bet against Elon Musk. Automotive plants are already overflowing with complex machinery. The Robotic Industries Association estimates that more than 265,000 robots already work in US factories. The consensus is that all potential efficiencies have already been exploited.
However, Elon Musk is ambitious and talented. And equally anxious to impose oneself in this world.
He started with Hyperloop. In addition, SpaceX can provide high precision orbital satellites, its electric cars are safe and environmentally friendly and can compete with a Lamborghini.
It has taken the habit of doing and creating what most of us believe is impossible. If he succeeds with his alien Dreadnought, automotive manufacturing will be upset forever. Make sure you are ready.