Staff Photo by Patrick Smith Work proceeds at the site of Volkswagen's manufacturing facility under construction at the Enterprise South industrial park.

Calling it a key milestone, Volkswagen officials today started installing the first equipment in the auto assembly plant’s paint shop.

“We start to install the first equipment and we begin at the paint shop, one of the most important buildings in the new plant,” said Lothar Grensemann, the facility’s future manager.

The paint shop, 360 yards long and 100 yards wide, will hold 56 robots when it’s completed next year, said Ralf Voellinger, executive director of the German company Eisenmann.

He said between 300 and 400 people will work installing the equipment during peak time, likely early next year.

Mr. Grensemann said the installation of the equipment is on schedule. Work on the paint shop will take place most of next year, he said.

The $1 billion plant is slated to start producing cars in early 2011.

See tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press for complete coverage.