Nissan Sunderland

In February we had an industrial visit to Nissan in Sunderland, which was really impressive. The level of automation in the factory was incredible, but equally impressive was the level of precision in the skilled labour of the 6% of the factory that wasn’t automated. They worked to time limit of 59 seconds per car, some roles had several jobs to do in that time which made it amazing to watch.

The factory was massive, during a 4 hour tour we apparently only saw around 10% of it. The number of machines in some areas made it feel like a sci-fi film; sparks flying everywhere as they went about their business reminded me of the droid factory in Star Wars (below). The way that the cars flowed through the system was really impressive, with such tight margins for error.

Some of the machines were especially awe-inspiring; the 3000 tonne press that forged the doors into shape was incredible to watch. The painting process was also really interesting, with each car going through a series of baths which added a new coat of paint to the car. The cars were then checked for imperfections, the level of quality-control was another very impressive part of the process.

After painting, the cars were then fitted with all their components. This area was a more manual-orientated part, which in itself was impressive. This area then led on to the test facility for further quality control, 1 in 5 cars are tested on the test-track for performance levels. Once they have passed the test, the cars are then moved out to be shipped all over the world.