Brazil – The OEM has added another shift of 600 workers at its manufacturing complex in Rio de Janeiro in order to meet demand for its Kicks crossover, which has been made at Resende since April. The total workforce now stands at 2,400 individuals.
“Local production of the Kicks demonstrates the company’s healthy growth,” said Marco Silva, president of Nissan Brazil. “We are strengthening our commitment to the country with investments and the creation of hundreds of jobs.” Preparations for the launch of the Kicks involved a 750m reais ($192m) investment.
Silva added that Nissan’s Resende site operates with “world-class manufacturing standards” and “a focus on product quality, sustainability and efficiency”. This includes comprehensive training for the new recruits, who were hired through Formasan, a programme jointly developed by Nissan and SENAI, a National Service for Industrial Training. Candidates who pass the skills assessments at the end of the programme undertake a four-stage course with the vehicle-maker.
Alongside the Kicks, Resende Industrial Complex builds the March and Versa compact cars, plus 1-litre and 1.6-litre engines. Manufacturing operations began three years ago.