Embargoed until 0600 hours
Tuesday 8 December 1998
NISSAN REACHES TWO MILLIONTH LANDMARK
Europe’s most productive car plant, Nissan in Sunderland, will reach a new milestone today, Tuesday 8 December when its two millionth vehicle rolls off the production line.
The three-door apple green Micra Si will be manufactured 12 years after the first car, a Bluebird, was built on 8 July 1986. Since then 187,178 Bluebirds, 600,770 Primeras, 325,126 New Primeras and 886,926 Micras have been produced in Sunderland.
Nissan has invested £1.5 billion in the world-class production facility. The Sunderland plant has exported around 1.4 million cars to nearly 60 countries worldwide including Japan and was the biggest UK car exporter in 1997.
It currently employs 4,200 people and has provided 41,376 man-years of work since production began. The company has spent £56.5 million on training the staff. A total of 372,752 on and off-the job training days, representing 4.5 per cent of available working time, have been provided.
The company has spent £6.835 billion on components with 200 suppliers in Europe, of which 70 per cent has been in the UK.
John Cushnaghan, Nissan’s deputy managing director said: “Producing two million vehicles is a significant milestone for our plant. It could not have been reached without the hard work and commitment of all our staff here in Sunderland. Each one of them, present and past, should be very proud and congratulate themselves on this achievement.”
The vehicle will be donated to an important charity-sporting event to be held in the north east in the Year 2000.
Nissan’s operations in the UK include vehicle design and development, styling, engineering, manufacturing, distribution and sales, industrial machinery and corporate finance. Some 5,400 people are employed directly by Nissan in the UK.
Production at the Sunderland plant will be boosted further in 2000, when a third model is introduced.
ends …
For further information please contact:
Lesley Alder 0191 419 3300
Stewart McKee 01923 899 930
Editor’s note:
Photographs are available, via ISDN, of John Cushnaghan, Nissan’s deputy managing director on the production line with the bare body of the two millionth car.
Please contact: North News after 2.00 pm on Monday 7 December
Tel: 0191 233 0223
23930/081298