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The largest car plant in the UK for the past 12 years and the largest exporter for 10 years, Nissan’s Sunderland plant has earned a notable track record in embracing new technologies and securing new business.

Set to commence manufacture of the new Nissan Juke in summer 2010, the plant is also generating widespread excitement in the low carbon sector for its plans to build an on-site battery plant to power the next generation of electric vehicles.

Scheduled to commence full production at the beginning of 2012, the project is estimated to create an extra 350 jobs.

In addition, in line with its intention to be the leader in zero emission vehicles by 2012, Nissan has been working with One North East to identify the initial infrastructure needed to support low carbon vehicles in North East England. This has led to around 700 charging points being installed throughout the area and a £10m skills academy being established at the Nissan site by Gateshead College, to train the new generation of engineers in low-carbon vehicle and battery manufacture.

“All of this activity will place the roots of green electric vehicle technology firmly in the North East,” says Senior Vice President Trevor. “We’re very proud of that.”

The company enjoys close links with the local community, hosting an annual Schools Engineering Discovery Event that sees 2,500 schoolchildren tour the manufacturing facility and enjoy an interactive show designed to inspire the pursuit of careers in engineering. It also offers both traditional and Modern Apprenticeships and a graduate training programme with Sunderland University. “It’s all about looking after today and keeping an eye on the future, making sure we’re well placed to embrace new technologies and move on,” says Trevor.

Born in Leigh, Lancashire, Trevor moved to the North East with his family at the age of 15 and attended Durham Johnson Grammar School before studying engineering at New College Durham and later Gateshead Technical College. After five years in the light manufacturing and electronics industry he joined Nissan’s Sunderland Plant in 1985, being promoted several times over the next 15 years before being appointed Managing Director in 2006. A year later he was promoted to his current position, responsible for Nissan’s entire European Manufacturing Division and related functions, encompassing major vehicle production plants in the UK, Spain, South Africa and Russia with a combined annual volume of over half a million units. Trevor is also a member of the Sunderland City Economic Forum and the Ministerial Advisory Group for Manufacturing.

“I like the people here,” says Trevor, “they’re open, friendly and to the point. There’s a bit of a buzz about the area too, with a great business community that really wants to push forward and progress. The geography’s fantastic, with the cities, countryside and coast all so close, and of course it’s an excellent location for the business, centrally placed between the A1 and A19 road links and close to a deep-water port.” This last factor makes the costs of both exporting products and importing supplies extremely competitive, although in fact a large proportion of Nissan’s suppliers are based locally with an increasing number actually moving onto the Nissan site while retaining their status as independent businesses. It all makes for less road miles traveled and a much greener, more cost-effective approach to manufacturing, and is just another example of the joined-up thinking that is putting Nissan and the North East at the forefront of sustainable business practices.

“What we have in North East England is an available, energetic, self-motivated, proud workforce that has been committed to making this plant successful. The facts speak for themselves.”