Nissan Plant Reaches Milestone

anthony_fontanelle@yahoo.com (Anthony Fontanelle) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:58:43 GMT

by Anthony Fontanelle
Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Japanese automaker Nissan recently announced that their first auto assembly plant in the southern part of the United States has reached its 25th year in service. Nissan's factory in Smyrna, Tennessee is just one among the numerous Nissan assembly facilities in the country specializing in the building of high quality vehicles.

Greg Daniels, Senior Vice President for U.S. Manufacturing with Nissan North America expressed the automaker's delight for having the said plant reach 25 years. "Over the past 25 years, Nissan's Smyrna plant has placed its mark on this community, the southern United States, and the automotive industry," said Daniels.

"We are extremely proud of what we've accomplished over the past quarter of a century and are looking forward to the next 25 years," he added. In its 25 years of existence, the auto assembly facility has certainly handled millions of auto parts. Nissan disclosed that the facility has built over 8.2 million vehicles in the past quarter of a century.

The Smyrna plant started operation in 1983 when Nissan became the first automaker to open a vehicle assembly facility in the southern part of the country. The plant first handled the assembly of compact pickup truck. Through the years, the plant has been retooled to give it more flexibility thus making it possible to build different vehicles apart from light trucks.

State Governor Phil Bredesen praised Nissan's initiative to open the facility in Tennessee. "Nissan's decision to begin manufacturing in Tennessee 25 years ago was a watershed event for our state and our nation," said Bredesen.

"With Nissan's continued success and the passage of time, it's easy to forget what a bold, innovative move that decision was and how it transformed our state's economy. The launch of the Smyrna facility was literally the first step in an explosion of automotive manufacturing in the southeast U.S. and the impact of the Nissan team is still being felt today," the governor added.

The Smyrna plant built some of the most successful Nissan models in the country. Equipped with reliable auto parts and crafted carefully by workers in the Smyrna plant, the 2002 Nissan Altima was named as the North American Car of the Year during its time.

Matt Kisber, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development had this to say: "After 25 years, Nissan's investment in Tennessee continues to reap benefits for our state each day. From the thousands of good paying jobs to the additional employment provided by Nissan suppliers to the quality of the vehicles rolling off the assembly line, all of us in Tennessee are proud of Nissan's contributions to our state's economy."

About the Author

Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.

Get Royalty Free Articles for your web site, newsletter, or ezine at the Free Article Headquarters