Nissan manufacturing chief to retire in April

Nissan Motor Co., the perennial leader of a benchmark survey of auto-factory efficiency, said North American manufacturing chief Dan Gaudette would retire in April and be replaced by Bill Krueger.

Gaudette, 53, has held the job since April 2004 and joined the company in 1980, Nissan said. Krueger, 41, is vice president of manufacturing at its Smyrna, Tenn., plant and came to Nissan last year from Toyota Motor Corp.

Gaudette replaced Emil Hassan in April 2004 in the North American post, after serving as U.S. manufacturing chief. He oversaw construction of the Canton, Miss., plant, which opened in 2003.