Nissan’s plan for the future is a future that envisions growth in Sub Saharan Africa and conditions that support Nissan’s Africa strategy to become a leading LCV and passenger brand on the continent. Nissan is optimistic about the future of automotive manufacturing in South Africa. This is the view of Nissan South Africa’s manufacturing director Joan Busquets, who recently participated in the Manufacturing Indaba event at Emperor’s Palace in Ekurhuleni. “We are investing in new plant infrastructure and innovative Nissan technologies at our Rosslyn plant to make sure our vehicles always meet global standards in terms of quality and cost,” said Busquets. With a 27-year career at Nissan, Busquets is familiar with the pressures that come in the manufacturing environment. “Nissan SA is introducing on-site suppliers which will also have the added benefits of reducing logistics time and cost,” said Busquets. “Also in the pipeline – with the aim of achieving the same results – is a Nissan Incubation Center to assist small black-owned businesses in getting a foot in the door of the auto supply chain.” Key to success, says Busquets, is adherence to global operating procedures, which at Nissan SA is the Alliance Production Way, a blueprint for manufacturing methods across the global family of Nissan and Renault plants. Best practice is supported by a fully trained workforce. Nissan SA is investing significantly in skills training and development to assist industry initiatives aimed at addressing the shortage of skilled engineers and operators. A home-grown pool of engineers is being groomed through a two-year Graduate Program that focuses on “on-the-job” training. By the end of Nissan SA’s next financial year, over 100 graduates will have gone through the program. Growing the local supply chain, which will improve the level of localisation on vehicles, is another enabler for global competitiveness. Source: Nissan Global News Room