Volkswagen’s Chattanooga assembly plant, after a 57-day shut down due to the coronavirus, will restart on Sunday in a phased ramp-up of production, the automaker said Wednesday.
The factory will have more than 90 new health and safety measures in place for returning employees, including touch-free temperature checking of everyone entering the plant and providing masks daily to workers, according to VW.
The company said it will adjust workstations and procedures to increase the amount of space between workers.
Also, the plant is staggering shift start times to reduce the flow of employees arriving and departing work. In addition, it’s staggering lunch and break times to reduce the amount of people in the cafeteria and break areas, according to VW.
VW Chattanooga suspended production on March 21 and then temporarily furloughed about 2,500 assembly and maintenance workers on April 11. The plant will gradually increase production to ensure a reliable supply base while providing workers with time to adapt to the new procedures and preventative measures, the company said.