Nissan North America, Inc., has signed a multi-million-dollar contract with GE Fanuc for a new manufacturing execution system (MES). The GE Fanuc CIMPLICITY Business will provide the MES solution, which includes consulting, software and hardware. This major new project features design, onsite implementation, startup, and support as the Nissan Canton, Miss., facility comes online. The new 2.6-million-square-foot, $930-million production complex will have the capacity to produce 250,000 units per year, including full-size pickups, sport utility vehicles and minivans.

"We chose CIMPLICITY’s MES because installation of the solution at our Smyrna, Tenn., plant achieved better inventory management, broader quality control, and faster lead times and inventory turns," said Mike Head, department manager for plastics and systems engineering at Nissan. "CIMPLICITY’s MES is a major contributor to making the plant the most productive car plant in North America*, and we’re passing those benefits on to our new facility."

Rich Carpenter, MES business leader for GE Fanuc, said, "The complexity of running the most productive automotive plant requires an advanced level of real-time visibility and control of the floor. Nissan utilizes the full suite from CIMPLICITY to achieve the reduction in inventory, integrate the execution system to the supply chain, and achieve the production rates required to meet market demands."

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. More information on Nissan and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.nissandriven.com.

For more information on GE Fanuc consulting solutions and manufacturing execution systems, visit http://www.gefanuc.com/Consulting_Solutions/index.asp?CS_ID=1&SEC_ID=1.

*The Harbour Report, a prestigious North American automotive survey