Nissan creates 800 jobs in Sunderland
27/06/2008(16:53)
Increased working hours at Nissan's Sunderland plant will create 800 jobs.
The Japanese company is to begin 24 hour production at the factory on Sunday to meet demand for its Qashqai small SUV - increasing its workforce to around 5,000.
Extra staff are also needed for the production of the Quashqai +2, a seven-seat model, which will launch in August.
According to Nissan, 6,100 Qashqais will be built each week when the plant reaches maximum capacity.
Trevor Mann, Nissan's senior vice-president of manufacturing in Europe, said the Qashqai had proved so popular the company would have to increase its volume to "significantly" more than 200,000 cars this year.
"The introduction of a third shift is a large commitment by Nissan in its UK operation, and will allow Sunderland to better meet the unprecedented and ongoing customer demand for this car, and also for Qashqai +2," he added.
Earlier this month Nissan announced £55 million of investment in the plant for the building of a new compact sports vehicle from 2010.
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