Just-in-time delivery of modular units built by the three onsite suppliers will provide Nissan with a competitive advantage. Such a scheme reduces inventory-space needs, and it allows Nissan to focus on its core competencies while producing cars more quickly, efficiently and cheaply.

Mississippi Boosts Plastics Industry As the new executive director of the Mississippi Economic Development Authority, Robert Rohrlack plans to move the Magnolia State in new directions. Plastics and polymers are among those very targeted industries that he is looking to expand.       Mississippi already has in place one of the top three polymer research facilities in the nation, The University of Southern Mississippi's School of Polymer Science and Engineering, according to U.S. News and World Report. The Mississippi Polymer Institute, a full-service resource for polymer-related industries that was established by Legislature in 1993, is charged with the mission of helping industry solve technical problems, train employees, and improve processes and products so the firms would be prosperous.       The state is now looking to further its efforts with a new plastics and polymers industry cluster study. The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) was selected as the principal vendor for the research project funded by a US$140,000 grant from the United States Dept. of Labor.       The USM research will encompass two distinct analyses: Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and gaps related to micro-economic conditions Identifying specific labor requirements through the year 2006, the extent to which a qualified work force will be available in Mississippi and recommendations for closing the gap.       Results of the study are to be published in March 2002.       USM units directly involved in this study are the Dept. of Economic Development, the Center for Community and Economic Development, the School of Engineering Technology, and the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials. Says William B. Sisson, director and project manager, Center for Community and Economic Development, USM, "The project team we have assembled has significant experience in plastics and polymers, work-force development strategies, survey design, and implementation and skills needs assessment."

      "At our Canton plant, we'll place a major emphasis on having suppliers assemble and deliver modules and components in the same sequence as the vehicles produced on our production lines," says Hassan. "Nissan's manufacturing operations are widely acclaimed as efficient, high-quality plants, so the use of modular assembly in sequence delivery should take those attributes to even higher levels."
      Nissan's Smyrna, Tenn., plant has attracted more than 100 suppliers, and Mississippi officials expect to see much of the same. More than 2,200 suppliers initially expressed interest in the Canton business, according to Nissan reports. At press time, Gov. Ronnie Musgrove noted, "We will have another announcement in a few weeks of more suppliers in our state."
      Nissan's impact thus far has proven to be a boon for Mississippi's economy. "It's a 2.5 million-sq.-ft. (232,000-sq.-m.) plant that will open up in the summer of 2003," notes Robert J. Rohrlack, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority. "It's a US$933 million investment with 4,000 direct jobs. There will be an estimated 26,000 indirect jobs, and with the just-announced suppliers coming online, that will be another $140 million coming into the area. So we're seeing that impact, and that ripple effect continues to grow. This is an impact that is going to carry the whole state and do a lot of good things. We're looking at other ways we can build off the