King's Norton is supplying the glass for the EU production of Nissan's all-electric Leaf hatchback at the Japanese manufacturer's Sunderland factory. NSG Group is making the backlight, rear door glass and both front and rear quarterlights for the Leaf. The backlight is being manufactured in Sagunto, Spain, and assembled at King's Norton. The rear door glass is being made in San Salvo, Italy, and both quarterlights are being made in Brazil. The front quarterlight is assembled in Poland before being shipped to the UK, whilst the rear quarterlight has a PVC seal fitted at King's Norton. "The launch has been very successful," said Account and New Model Development Manager Phil Hitchmough. "From the start, there have been no issues with quality and although the supply chain is a little complex, everything has worked smoothly. We are pleased to be associated with this ground-breaking vehicles. Sales of the Leaf are growing and although they may not have matched Nissan's initial expectation,s the company is confident that the technology is key to the future of automotive manufacture." King's Norton is applying the Leaf's rear backlight pins using a new low-cost assembly cell developed by engineering at San Salvo. "The cell is very capable but costs around 70% less than conventional assembly methodologies," said Phil. The new technology is currently being rolled out to other sites Group-wide.
