VW hiring, production, in high gear at Chattanooga plant

DuPont duping tech specialist Chika Nomoto checks for proper dehydration of base and clear coat spray in the paint shop at Volkswagen in Chattanooga.

Volkswagen has begun a six-day-a-week, 20-hour-a-day operating slate for its Chattanooga plant as it accelerates hiring and production.

“The hard work of our production team over the past year has not only produced a car that won the J.D. Power APEAL award, but has also provided opportunity for these new employees,” Frank Fischer, CEO for VW’s Chattanooga operations, said in a news release.

The addition of the third team has boosted employees at the factory to more than 3,300, according to VW. Plans are to be up to about 3,500 by year’s end.

In terms of production, VW is bolstering capacity to about 180,000 vehicles annually, up from 150,000.

According to VW, the three production teams will rotate through two shifts and work 40 hours.