Nissan announced further expansion of its U.S. manufacturing footprint with Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd joining Nissan officials at the State Capitol to announce a new $160 million supplier park project at the company’s Smyrna, Tenn. vehicle assembly plant. The project will support more than 1,000 newly created supplier jobs.
José Muñoz, Executive Vice President, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Chairman, Management Committee, Nissan North America, Inc. and John Martin, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management and Purchasing, Nissan North America, Inc., joined state and local officials from Rutherford County and the Town of Smyrna for the announcement.
“Today marks an exciting new chapter in our more than 31-year partnership with the State of Tennessee as we continue our localization and investment efforts in the United States,” Muñoz said. “This project is a key component to the long-term sustainability of our U.S. business as we close in on a goal of 10 percent U.S. market share.”
Current plans for the project call for construction of an integrated logistics center that will be located on Nissan’s Smyrna campus and is more than 1.5 million square feet in size. The integrated logistics center will serve as an immediate space for suppliers and be used for multiple purposes supporting operations including inbound production parts and outbound returnable containers.
“Nissan and Tennessee have enjoyed a long and successful partnership, and today’s announcement is another significant milestone in our history together,” Gov. Bill Haslam said. “The success of Tennessee’s automotive industry brings with it growth in supplier networks, and we want to thank Nissan for this new investment in Smyrna and our state.”
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. Nissan builds 85 percent of its vehicles sold in the U.S. in North America.
The Nissan Smyrna Plant began operations in 1983 and employs more than 8,400 people. In 2014, the Smyrna plant assembled more than 648,000 vehicles, making it the highest producing automotive assembly plant in North America. Production for the all-new 2016 Maxima, which was shown for the first time during Nissan’s recent Super Bowl ad, will begin in Smyrna later this year. Smyrna employees currently build the award-winning Altima, Maxima, all-electric LEAF, Rogue crossover, Pathfinder SUV and Infiniti QX60 luxury crossover.
