After about three months of downtime due to the spread of the coronavirus, the Nissan plant in Sunderland has started vehicle production again today. A new Nissan Juke rolled off the assembly line as the first car.
In order to ensure the safe return of the employees, time-consuming preparations were carried out in advance. A total of 5,000 processes in the factory have undergone rigorous risk assessment to ensure that employee health cannot be compromised.
Alan Johnson, Nissan Vice President of Manufacturing in the UK, said: “It is great to see cars rolling off the assembly line again, including the new Nissan Juke. It’s a testament to the skill and dedication of the team here that we have been able to get back up and running again, with a full set of safety measures in place.”
The improved security measures include the installation of new separation units between employees, such as screens, barriers and partition walls. In addition, a new one-way system was introduced on the entire site.
The rest areas have been redesigned and the break times have been rescheduled in order to maintain a safe distance and to reduce common contact points. The personnel were also equipped with safety equipment.
As the vehicles are to be delivered to customers across Europe, new health and safety measures have been introduced across the dealer network in line with government recommendations. This includes instructions for maintaining the safety distance, additional safety equipment and the introduction of hygiene regulations.
By successfully implementing these regulations, Nissan has been able to fully open more than 95 percent of its dealer network across Europe. Showrooms in the Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine are open again. A few showrooms in Portugal, Spain and Great Britain as well as in Russia are still outstanding.
