Nissan Meets Buyout Goals

Nissan North America has announced it achieved its goals with a buyout program offered to employees in late July.

The Franklin-based automaker said this summer it had an excess workforce of 1,200. A Nissan spokesman would not say specifically how many workers took the buyout in the assembly plant in Smyrna and the powertrain facility in Decherd. But Smyrna was at 5,500 employees this summer and now stands at 4,500. Decherd had 1,100 working on the factory floor before the buyout and now has 950.

Nissan offered employees more than $100,000 to leave the company and allowed workers to delay their departure for up to three years.