Volkswagen is changing chief executives in Chattanooga again, bringing in an exec from China who in coming months will oversee two vehicle launches and work on an $800 million expansion.
Tom du Plessis, who was director of production at multiple plants in China for the last five years, is taking over for Frank Fischer. Fischer was a former Chattanooga plant chief who returned on an indefinite basis when ex-CEO Antonio Pinto took a new post in May.
Fischer said he had always intended to stay in Chattanooga for a limited tour of duty as the company looked for a new permanent CEO.
“I didn’t know how long I’d be here. I had no idea how long it would take to find a CEO,” said Fischer, who returned to the top job in May amid a hard-fought union election.
New CEO du Plessis declined comment on the union vote, in which the United Auto Workers lost by a margin of 833 to 776. But he cited teamwork, mutual respect, continuous improvement and training as key to the plant’s future success.