Red Sofa interview | Nissan’s Ben Shain on optimising delivery performance and carrier collaboration

At the 2025 Finished Vehicle Logistics North America conference in Huntington Beach, Ben Shain, senior manager of vehicle logistics at Nissan North America, joined the Red Sofa to share insights from the company’s logistics transformation and performance optimisation initiatives.

Nissan has introduced more granular performance analysis using time-of-day and day-of-week metrics to increase velocity and reduce logistics cost per unit. Shain explained how the OEM is working with carriers to use pipeline data more effectively and improve early tendering, particularly by synchronising rail and yard operations to maximise driver and equipment utilisation.

He also detailed how Nissan is using collaborative planning and business reviews every six months to identify network inefficiencies and improve KPIs such as damage-free delivery and forecast accuracy.

Shain emphasised that building long-term trust and competitiveness with hauliers depends on proactive communication, data transparency and two-way collaboration.