New model and more new jobs for Nissan’s Sunderland plant

It follows the announcement at last month's Geneva Motor Show that Sunderland will also produce a mainstream compact car from next year (called the Invitation). The new medium hatchback will create an additional 225 jobs at Nissan and 900 in the company's UK supply chain. The two recent announcements will result in more than 3,000 new jobs being created in the UK automotive sector within the next two years – 625 at Nissan and the remainder across the supply base. Once recruitment for both models is complete, the Sunderland plant workforce will stand at a record 6,225 supporting an overall annual plant volume of more than half a million units. The announcement was made by David Cameron and Nissan chief operating officer, Toshiyuki Shiga, during a visit to Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. The new hatchback will be named closer to its sales launch. Production capacity for the new model will be around 80,000 units triggering the need for Sunderland to implement an additional shift. This will see both production lines operating around the clock for the first time in the plant's 26-year history, a move which will take manufacturing capacity beyond 550,000 units. The announcement also consolidates the Sunderland plant's position as the UK's largest car manufacturer, a title it has held since 1998. The decision to build the new car at Sunderland represents an additional £127m investment by Nissan at the plant and is supported by an offer of £8.2m from the government via the Regional Growth Fund. In recent years, Sunderland's successes at winning investment from its parent company have included the introduction of the electric Nissan Leaf in 2013; Juke launch; the construction of a battery plant and the replacement for the Qashqai crossover – in addition to the two recent model announcements. Roles immediately available include engineering, maintenance and production supervisor positions. Recruitment information can be found via the link below.