300 jobs created as new Magna car parts plant opens in Sunderland to supply Nissan

City leaders and senior officials from Canadian firm Magna attended an event today, Thursday, August 26, to mark the official opening of the company’s Cherry Blossom Way site, which will employ 300 people when it is at capacity.

The business provides a range of components, including major body and chassis parts, to the automotive sector.

Magna, which is headquartered in Ontario, has 347 manufacturing plants and 87 other facilities across 28 countries, 12, of them in the UK, and employs more than 158,000 people, including 2,125 in Britain. The Sunderland plant currently has 280 employees.

The company opened its base at Cherry Blossom Way in January 2020, supplying exterior trim parts for the third generation Qashqai.

The facility houses a robotic assembly line, and Magna has also introduced its new proprietary technology to Sunderland, producing a fully assembled thermo-plastic liftgate, a lightweight alternative to steel.

This technology contributes to key industry goals, in relation to making cars lighter and more fuel-efficient. The company is also targeting continued growth through painted exterior parts such as fascia systems, claddings,door sills, running boards and roof rails.

Group General Manager Tony Park said: “We’re thrilled to celebrate the opening of our facility which has established itself as a key UK site, and critical in supporting our work with Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK.

“We’ve been delighted with the speed at which we have been able to appoint a skilled team to get up to capacity, and our ambition is that this facility keeps growing as we continue to service Nissan and our customers across the UK to the highest possible standard.”

Magna also has ambitions to build upon work around electrification, which in time could create further opportunities for growth, creating further jobs in the process.

City council leader Coun Graeme Miller said: “Sunderland is at the beating heart of Europe’s automotive sector. Nissan’s success has generated many thousands of jobs in the region, and Magna’s move to the city is a fantastic example of Sunderland’s ability to support successful local supply chains, thanks to its exceptional people, great connectivity and collaborative advanced manufacturing cluster.”

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