Nissan And Gov. Bryant Break Ground On Supplier Park Supporting Jobs And Manufacturing Growth

CANTON, Miss., July 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nissan expanded its U.S. manufacturing footprint today with Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant joining Nissan employees to break ground on a new supplier park at the company's Canton, Miss. vehicle assembly plant.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080506/NISSANWORDMARKLOGO)

The project will support more than 800 jobs, including an expected 400 newly created supplier jobs as well as 400 employees that Nissan has hired since June 1 in anticipation of the project. 

Dan Bednarzyk, Nissan Vice President for Total Delivered Cost, and David Aldana, Nissan Vice President for Manufacturing, joined local officials from Madison County and the City of Canton to mark the start of construction.

"Today, we begin an exciting new chapter in Mississippi as we continue our localization and investment efforts in the United States," Bednarzyk said. "Today's groundbreaking supports our efforts to bring more Nissan cars and trucks to our plant in Mississippi and means more Mississippi jobs. Additionally, the supplier park will help make us more globally competitive at our Canton Mississippi plant."

Current plans for the project call for construction of an integrated logistics center that will be located on the north end of Nissan's campus and is more than 1 million square feet in size. Additional infrastructure improvements will also be made to the current supplier logistics center building located at the south end of Nissan's campus.

The supplier logistics center will serve as an immediate space for suppliers. The integrated logistics center will be used for multiple purposes supporting operations including inbound production parts, outbound returnable containers and supplier operations.

"For a decade, Nissan has been a loyal corporate partner and has created thousands of jobs for Mississippians," Gov. Bryant said. "The addition of the new supplier park will bring more manufacturing jobs to Mississippi and serves to strengthen our growing automotive sector. I am grateful to Nissan for demonstrating to the world that 'Mississippi Works.' Great things are taking place in our state, and I wish Nissan many more years of growth and success in Canton."

The project will provide essential space to support the on-site suppliers necessary for continued growth, while further supporting Nissan's overall strategy to bring more production to the United States. By 2015, 85 percent of Nissan vehicles sold in the U.S. will be built in North America – up from 69 percent. 

The Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant began operations in 2003 and employs more than 5,600 people with an annual payroll in excess of $200 million. Nissan has announced plans to move assembly of the next-generation Nissan Murano to Canton from Japan beginning in 2014. Canton employees currently build the award-winning Altima, Sentra compact sedan, Armada full-size SUV, Xterra mid-size SUV, Titan and Frontier pickup trucks and NV full-size commercial cargo and passenger vans.

Since 2003, along with its generous employees, Nissan has awarded more than $8 million in grants, academic scholarships and other charitable contributions in Central Mississippi. Additionally, Nissan employees volunteer many hours annually to community organizations, including working with students in the classroom and as one-on-one mentors.

About Nissan         
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 267,000 employees globally, Nissan sold more than 4.9 million vehicles and generated revenue of 9.6 trillion yen (USD 116.16 billion) in fiscal 2012. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of over 60 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

About Nissan North America          
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the Americas media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.

SOURCE Nissan North America