Nissan reveals new Sunderland stamping line

Nissan unveiled a new £52m XL press line in its UK manufacturing plant.

The press, which weighs more than 2,000 tonnes and has taken 18 months to install, is part of a £400m investment by Nissan to prepare for the new Qashqai.

The £52m investment in the new press includes a new recycling system to segregate and process scrap, and upgrades to the existing blanking line which will supply flat blanks (the sheets of metal that are ready to be pressed) to the XL press. It is capable of stamping more than 6.1 million vehicle panels a year, with a maximum combined force of 5,400 tonnes.

Steve Marsh, vice president, manufacturing, at Nissan Sunderland Plant, said: "Watching the first perfect panels coming off the press was a proud moment, and is a reflection of the tremendous skills we have here on Wearside."

The £400m invested for Qashqai comes on top of the £100m invested for the launch of new Juke, and is part of an overall £1bn planned investment into the plant by Nissan over five years.