Volkswagen Chattanooga announced Wednesday that Gary Heywood has been named director of Purchasing.
Mr. Heywood has served as the general manager for Commodities at the Chattanooga factory since July of 2011. Previously, he served as head of Powertrain and Metal Purchasing at Bentley Motors in Crewe, England. His new assignment begins Aug. 1.
Mr. Heywood’s predecessor, Tom Loafman, will leave Volkswagen Chattanooga to assume the role of director of Purchasing for Bentley Motors Limited in Crewe, England. Mr. Loafman joined Volkswagen Group of America in January, 2007 and built a purchasing organization to support the design, development, sourcing, and production of the North American Passat. He and his wife will relocate to Crewe and Mr. Loafman will begin his new assignment on Aug. 1.
“Like all healthy organizations, ours continues to change and grow and I am looking forward to working with Gary in his new role,” said Frank Fischer, CEO and chairman of Volkswagen Chattanooga. “I thank Tom for his support in Chattanooga and wish him great success with our sister brand, Bentley, in the United Kingdom.”