At the Nissan plants in Smyrna and Dedherd, Tenn., 775 employees accepted the buy out package which included a $45,000 lump sum payment and an additional $500 for each year of service. The offer was made to hourly production and maintenance technicians. Retirements accounted for 303 of the total.
"This program has resulted in tangible benefits for employees and the company," said Dan Gaudette, senior vice president of North American Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management. "Each person is unique, but several employees have already told us the program will allow them to return to school full-time, to start up businesses they have dreamed about or to start enjoying their retirement. It was the right program at the right time."
According to Nissan, the Voluntary Transition Program was designed to balance staffing levels with assembly requirements, taking into account production mix and productivity gains.
The Smyrna plant currently manufactures Nissan Altima and Maxima passenger cars, Nissan Frontier pickup trucks and Nissan Xterra and Pathfinder sport-utility vehicles. The Dedherd powertrain facility produces all engines for Nissan and Infiniti vehicles built in the United States.
