NISSAN Sunderland - where your Qashqai was born!
Ever wondered... what is is like in Europe's most
successful car production plant? Nor have I but here is some information for you
just in case!
NMUK is located in Washington area of Sunderland, in between Newcastle and
Middlesbrough, near the A19, the A1231 Sunderland Highway, and Washington Road.
The factory is adjacent to the Nissan Distribution Centre (NDS), and a number of
synchronous suppliers. The landscaped NMUK site incorporates conservation areas,
such as ponds, lakes and woodland.
In 2005, six second-hand, 200 ft wind turbines were installed in the centre of
the site for a cost of £1.1 million. It was expected up to 7% of the plant's
overall power needs could be met through these turbines, reducing 100,000 tonnes
of carbon dioxide emissions per year. This impact was temporarily reduced, as in
December 2005, one of the turbines caught fire and was destroyed. This caused
disruption on local roads and forced the closure of the other turbines for a
number of weeks[1]. The turbine was replaced in November 2006.
The Nissan Technical Centre for Europe (NTCE) was located on site until the late
1990's, when it was relocated to Cranfield in Bedfordshire - although the
building still remains.
