It is getting harder to find products with the label “Made in America.” Out of curiosity, we recently went through our house looking for that designation and found only a few such items that get our daily use. When some people see the Nissan brand, they assume it’s another Japanese import, but they could not be more mistaken.
When Nissan offered to loan an Xterra Pro-4X to Lone Writer, Inc., for use during our 2011 season, it included a tour of its plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. That plant is one of the largest of its kind in North America. Under one roof, there is room to set up more than 90 football fields and have room for parking. It encompasses 5.4 million square feet of space. Construction inside that massive building is never finished as different lines are added and deleted. It all began June 16, 1983, and has grown to an investment of $2.5 billion.
Getting to a point where all...
Getting to a point where all that metal becomes recognizable as a vehicle takes a lot of work. All the panels were individually pressed and stamped, then welded together in a darkened room inhabited by computer-controlled robots. It is then placed on a conveyor and carried through a series of stations where each person performs a specific task to keep the conveyor moving.
More than 1,000 people had a hand in building the Pro-4X as it moved along conveyors that rarely paused. Each person along that line has a specific task in the process that begins with raw metals and ends on a test track outside the building. At peak production, there are 3,400 employees at the Symrna plant and many more at another facility that builds the engines one piece at a time.
It takes about 24 hours from the time bare materials enter the plant to be transformed into a vehicle that rolls out the door. The plant can produce more than a half million vehicles a year consisting of eight different Nissan models.
The doors and hood are added...
The doors and hood are added while the conveyor moves at a steady pace. Workers follow it along within each station while contributing their part in the manufacturing process.
Once the body shell is complete,...
Once the body shell is complete, it leaves the floor and is mounted on another conveyor system that will carry it high above the floor until it reaches the painting area.
Trucks and SUVs share the...
Trucks and SUVs share the same lines in most areas of the plant. These vehicles have just been painted and are headed to a specially-lighted area where the paint can be inspected for any flaws.
In another area of the plant, the frame has been constructed. Engines are manufactured at a different plant in Tennessee and shipped to Symrna. At this station, the engine and frame are joined together. The process takes only a few minutes. The frame moves at a steady pace along a conveyor mounted on the floor. The engines travel along another conveyor high above. As the frame passes below, the engine lowers into its saddle in perfect synchronization. There are eight different engine combinations for SUVs and trucks, but the system knows exactly which engine to lower onto which frame. Workers bolt the two together as the new assembly leaves their station and enters another. Only moments will pass before another frame and engine will enter their station and the process repeats again and again.
A short distance down the...
A short distance down the line, another perfectly timed joining occurs. The frame travels along a lower conveyor and the painted body is brought in high above it. Once again, both conveyors travel at a steady pace in perfect synchronization. Workers steady the body as the system lowers it onto the frame.
The process resembles a flying...
The process resembles a flying trapeze in which one person flies through the air to grab onto another at the exact moment when joining can take place. As in acrobatics, this process is carried out on the move where neither part ever pauses. The workers must be in the right position at the moment the two parts come together so the bolts and connections can be zipped into place with power tools. Within seconds, two separate pieces become as one.
To cover all the steps between...
To cover all the steps between the points where the first sheetmetal is stamped and where the vehicle is ready to roll out the door would fill a very thick book. We have touched on the ones with the easiest access. For a first-hand experience, we recommend taking the public tour of the Nissan Plant in Smyrna. At peak capacity, there are 3,400 Americans working in the Symrna plant. About half of them work on the passenger car lines and the other half work on the truck/SUV lines.