Tokyo

Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday it will invest 33 billion yen in its Tochigi plant in eastern Japan next year to introduce robot and other innovative technologies.

These innovations will help deliver a new generation of electrified and intelligent automobiles while making production operations more flexible and efficient, the Japanese automaker said.

The innovations include automating sealing, a process in which a paste-like material is applied to seams around the vehicle body to prevent water intrusion, Nissan said.

The company said that these technologies will be rolled out across Nissan plants globally.

These technologies are designed to cope with the vehicle "mass-production process that has become complicated due to intelligence and electrification," said Hideyuki Sakamoto, Nissan executive vice president.

The introduction of these technologies will help save labor, but "is not intended to cut jobs," Sakamoto said.

Sakamoto said Nissan is considering providing alliance partners Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. with these technologies.

[Jiji Press]