Nissan recently announced that its vehicle assembly plant in Canton, Miss., has earned the sourcing contract to build the next-generation Murano crossover, becoming the eighth vehicle built at the plant and requiring several hundred employees for production. The announcement comes as Nissan begins celebrating 10 years of manufacturing in Mississippi.
Since it was established in 2003, the Nissan Canton facility has become a cornerstone of the company's North American manufacturing operations. Over the past decade, Nissan Canton has grown from building one model to seven, including the Altima, the Armada full-sized SUV, the Xterra mid-sized SUV, the Titan and Frontier pickup trucks, and NV commercial and passenger vans.
"As we look back on 10 years of manufacturing in Canton, it's become clear throughout the Nissan network that 'Made in Mississippi' is a stamp of quality and great people," said Bill Krueger, vice chairman of Nissan Americas. "With the addition of this new model in Canton, Nissan is well on its way toward meeting our goal to manufacture 85 percent of the vehicles we sell in the U.S. right here in North America.
When the plant opened, Nissan became the largest private-sector employer in the region and has since brought even more high-skilled, well-paying jobs to the community while maintaining a diverse workforce that has drawn employees from 80 of Mississippi's 82 counties. During the past 10 years, Nissan has also contributed more than $5 million to charitable organizations in the metro Jackson area.
"A decade ago, we opened the doors of this plant and immediately became one of the region's largest private-sector employers," said Dan Bednarzyk, vice president of manufacturing and plant manager at Nissan Canton. "To us, that meant we were not only providing thousands of jobs and making a long-term investment to the state and to the region, but that Nissan was also going to become a strong corporate partner in central Mississippi, giving back and making a difference in our communities."
For more information, visit www.nissan-canton.com.