With the recent additions of the Infiniti JX and Nissan LEAF and the future addition of the Nissan Rogue to its vehicle assembly lines in Smyrna, Tenn., Nissan has announced the opening of its most advanced paint plant in the world as a black 2013 Infiniti JX rolled off the line.
Nissan says the state-of-the-art facility sets new standards for quality, efficiency and environmental impacts, as it is capable of reducing energy consumption by 30 percent, carbon emissions by 30 percent and volatile organic compound (VOCs) emissions by 70 percent.
The plant will use a three-wet paint process that applies all three paint layers in succession, before the vehicle goes into the oven. Previous processes required the vehicle to bake in between the primer application and the topcoat layers. Implementation of this new technology reduces energy consumption, cost and emissions while increasing production efficiency.
The 250,000-square-foot plant is located adjacent to Nissan’s existing vehicle assembly plant in Tennessee and replaces Nissan’s previous paint system that had been in service for nearly 30 years.
"Nissan is committed to increasing energy efficiency as we reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing the highest quality vehicles sold in North America," said Susan Brennan, Nissan’s vice president of manufacturing in Smyrna. "These efforts align with our global strategies of zero-emission leadership and corporate social responsibility to employees, stakeholders and customers."
The plant is Nissan’s "Showcase Project" as part of the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Better Plants Challenge, where Nissan has committed to reducing energy intensity in its three U.S. plants 25 percent by 2020.
This effort is part of Nissan’s broader global environmental initiative, the Nissan Green Program 2016, which focuses on reducing environmental impacts of corporate activities and pursuing harmony between resource consumption and ecology by promoting and widening the application of innovative green technologies, energy management and fuel-efficient vehicles.
Nissan is an ENERGY STAR Partner and was awarded ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in 2010 and 2011 and Sustained Excellence, ENERGY STAR’s highest honor, in 2012. The Smyrna plant has received the ENERGY STAR distinction for the past seven years.
In May 2012, Nissan’s Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant became the first passenger-vehicle manufacturing facility to attain ISO 50001 and Superior Energy Performance (SEP) certifications. Accredited under the American National Standards Institute and National Accreditation Board, these certifications recognize the Smyrna facility as a leader in energy management.
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