According to a report by an industry expert, workers in the North East are the driving force behind the most effective car plant in British history. The European Union and the United Nations have also been advised of this.
The Production of Nissan’s Sunderland factory dwarfs the output of other British car plants such as Dagenham, Cowley and Longbridge.
In the past the highest amount of cars produced in a year was 400,000. Last year the Sunderland site produced 423,000.
Professor Garel Rhys produced a report called Superlatives in UK Production which attributed Nissan’s performance to the Sunderland plant’s outstanding productivity. This is a result of excellent industrial relations and efficient work practices.
‘Nothing short of remarkable’ was one description used. It also suggests that the world record breaking production is likely to continue. Last month, the Northwest plant was to be chosen by the Japanese manufacturer to build the next generation of the Nissan Qashqai model. 1,000 jobs will be safeguarded and hundreds more across the region.
Prof Rhys said: “The performance of Nissan’s Sunderland plant is remarkable by any standards, but its performance during the recession has lessons for all car manufacturers.”
The plant not only broke UK production levels, but exceeded UK export records too.
Nissan’s vice president for the manufacturing in the UK, Kevin Fitzpatrick said, “Last year was a landmark year for the plant and represents a superb achievement by our workforce. This performance also reflects the popularity of the models we are producing in Sunderland.”
The reputation of Prof Rhys was developed during his years as director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff Business School.
Since then he has retired from his role and has become professor emeritus of Cardiff University.