US – The 162,000 sq.m facility in Smyrna, a public-private partnership between the OEM and the Tennessee Board of Regents, will train local students and Nissan employees in advanced manufacturing and automotive technology. It will operate as an extension of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Murfreesboro.
Describing Nissan’s workforce at Smyrna and its other US facilities as “our greatest asset”, John Martin, senior vice-president, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management and Purchasing at Nissan North America, said that the latest investment in personnel would “secure the continued growth of our company”. He added: “We are constantly looking for new ways to equip current and future employees with the skills and knowledge needed to operate a 21st-century manufacturing plant.”
Trainees at the facility will take classes including automotive technology, industrial electrical maintenance, machine-tool technology and welding technology. This will provide them with the skills to work at the nearby Nissan facilities or at other employers in the region.
In Middle Tennessee, Nissan operates vehicle and battery factories at Smyrna plus two powertrain assembly plants at Decherd. Nissan Smyrna, which employs about 8,400 workers, has the capacity to make 640,000 vehicles per year, assembling six different models: the Altima, the all-electric Leaf, Maxima, Rogue, Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60. The company also has its North American headquarters at Franklin.