Rivian Automotive, Inc. has announced the hiring of Frank Klein as Chief Operations Officer, effective June 1st, 2022. Frank most recently held the position of President at Austria-based automotive contract manufacturer Magna Steyr, a subsidiary of Canadian-based Magna International.
Klein will be based in Normal, Illinois, and will report directly to Rivian’s Chief Executive Officer, RJ Scaringe.
Klein succeeds Rod Copes, who retired from the position last year.
During his time at Magna Steyr, Frank oversaw the company’s shift to the electric mobility manufacturing space, including the production of the first electric vehicle made by a contract manufacturer.
Prior to working for Magna Steyr, Klein worked for Daimler AG for 27 years.
At Rivian, the company says he will lead the buildout of robust and stable operations processes as well as scaling vehicle production across several new programs.
Frank Klein says: “I’m hugely excited to be joining Rivian. It’s a company creating industry leading products and services that are helping to shape the future of the automotive industry. I share RJ’s vision and I’m looking forward to working with him and the team to drive growth and further Rivian’s mission.”
In late 2021, Rivian announced its plans to locate its second U.S. manufacturing facility in Georgia, as well as its plans to scale capacity at its existing plant in Normal, Illinois.
The new Georgia facility will be capable of producing up to 400,000 vehicles per year.
Construction on the facility is expected to begin in summer 2022, and the start of production is slated for 2024.
