NisSun rising

Nissan is back, according to President and COO Carlos Ghosn, thanks to a revised product development structure that makes better use of employees and technology.

The Japanese must be fervently wishing that NKP stood for Nippon Revival Plan, rather than being confined to Nissan, and that its implementation was as decisive as that of President Carlos Ghosn of Nissan. In fact, during the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) recent spell of dismal ratings among the public, Ghosn's name was at the top of a few media-complied “Wish He Were (the Prime Minister of Japan)” lists. The LDP rating has recovered since the election of reformist Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, to whom Monsieur Ghosn recently paid a visit. They were said to have exchanged views on their respective problems and goals, which may be similar in nature, if not in scale and scope.

While the immensely popular prime minister has yet to prove his worth, Carlos Ghosn and his revitalized management team have been moving determinedly and fast. Nissan improved Japanese manufacturing capacity utilization from a bleak 51.1% to an encouraging 74.1% by shutting down three assembly plants. A reduction of 21,000 employees through attrition and transfer to the sold-off and spun-off subsidiaries has required “a lot from a lot of people,” acknowledged Ghosn.