Voices of manufacturing: The people assembling Thrill for Nissan drivers

Thrill. You know, that feeling. A jolt of energy you get behind the wheel. Behind every thrilling moment, there's a team assembling high-quality vehicles for customers. It requires a human touch. There's emotion in manufacturing and heart in the process.

On National Manufacturing Day, we recognize the importance and impact of advanced manufacturing in the U.S. and around the world. For Nissan, the heartbeat of our products is comprised of the creators, makers and doers who manufacture and engineer our lineup with care. It's the nearly 15,000 manufacturing employees, more than 400 parts and supplier partners and 11 parts distribution centers who bring vehicles from concept to pavement.

These employees keep our business running, and they'll continue to play a critical role as we look to the future and our long-term vision, Nissan Ambition 2030. We're taking Thrill to the next level with factories of the future to electrify our lineup – all while striving for a cleaner, safer and more inclusive world.  

Hitting production milestones, with more on the horizon

Passionate about the manufacturing industry and equally driven by continuous development, Tanya White is a production technician who's been with Nissan for nearly 20 years.

She's worked at Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant – contributing to the plant's recent milestone of 5 million vehicles produced.

"Through my career and training programs at Canton, I've seen personal and professional growth," Tanya said. "It's been amazing to establish vehicle manufacturing in Mississippi." It's no surprise that Tanya also looks to the future with excitement – to be part of the EV transformation underway, which will upskill employees to build two all-new, all-electric models.

Assembling teams & legacies

Clay Casanova, body supervisor at our Smyrna Vehicle Assembly plant in Tennessee, has a personal connection to the Nissan brand. His dad worked in manufacturing at Nissan for 33 years, and each day he works to build on his father's legacy.

He has a passion for cars and people, and says his superpower is finding a way to relate to everyone, including team members he has the privilege of leading.

This is the advice he shared on a career in manufacturing: "Lead with empathy. Walk in others' shoes to understand their perspective."

Building factories of the future

Teri Winton (r) presents Global
Nissan Innovation Award to
ASSIST member Bill James.

Part of manufacturing is executing with precision while also working to integrate advanced technology into the process to build factories of the future. That's where Teri Winton thrives. A versatility supervisor at Decherd Powertrain Assembly Plant, she loves building solutions for the future. Teri is part of a team that assesses manufacturing processes to advance the way we manufacture and engineer powertrains.

Her father is a technologist at the same plant and has worked there for 20 years, with Teri joining a couple years later.

They've both witnessed the plant hit major milestones, like electric motor assembly, powering Nissan LEAF – the first all-electric, mass-market EV.

Teri and her father have come to appreciate the family atmosphere and career opportunities.

"Each day in manufacturing is different, and that can be both parts exciting and challenging" she says. "The careers are definitely rewarding, so buckle up and enjoy the ride."

The next time you experience thrill, remember the heartbeat behind the moment. It's because of Teri, Tanya and Clay – and nearly 15,000 team members – that these moments are possible.