PITTSBURGH - Nissan has named PPG Industries Inc. to be the sole finishing-products supplier at the automaker's new assembly plant in Canton, MS, when the plant begins operation in 2003, PPG announced.

PPG said it would be the first coatings manufacturer to be awarded an exclusive contract at a Nissan plant, supplying a range of products from pretreatments to clearcoats at the 2.6-million-square-foot complex. The plant will be able to produce 250,000 vehicles a year, ranging from full-size pickups and sport-utility vehicles to minivans.