How Nissan is managing cost, digitalising processes and aligning KPIs with partners
Ben Shain, director of production control at Nissan North America, spoke to Automotive Logistics at ALSC Global 2026 about how generative and agentic AI can drive productivity, how early access to accurate information is crucial to cost planning, and why communication and coordination with partners is so important.
On the Red Sofa at ALSC Global 2026, Ben Shain –who took on his current role as director of production control at Nissan North America in February this year – described how getting to know the people, processes and systems was crucial when he stepped into this new role.
"My task is really to drive productivity and efficiencies within the team," he explained. "I'm trying to digitise the processes for tomorrow and really focus on the people – engagement is key for me and learning who the leaders of the future are and fostering their development is also key."
When it comes to digitalisation, there's two main things that Shain is focused on. The first is where manual processes can be automated and the second is how AI can drive productivity. He explained how generative AI can be used for scenario planning and analysing datasets, while agentic AI is creating new opportunities such as assessing market rates for safety equipment and consumables to ensure the company is always getting the best costs.
An important aspect of production control is cost planning, and with logistics costs rising, this job has not got any easier in 2026. "Cost pressures are everyday," said Shain, but he highlighted how early access to accurate information (whether that be dimensions for outbound freight or packaging specifications on the inbound side, for example) can give firms the best chance of staying on top of their costs.
"The key thing is getting that information early enough to influence decisions, particularly around sourcing and investment," he emphasised. "After those decisions are made, it is very difficult to impact change."
Shain is also responsible for scheduling at plants and how design changes impact this, sitting between Nissan's marketing/sales teams and the manufacturing plants that execute those changes. He highlighted that in this role, communication with partners is critical.
"Suppliers can manage a lot of volatility, but they can't do it if it's last-minute and a surprise," he said, sharing how Nissan communicates regularly with its supply base, including through monthly webinars to ensure that logistics providers clearly understand the volumes and any changes to the volumes, as well as standard operating procedures and any necessary follow-ups.
Shain stressed the importance of sharing common KPIs with partners to ensure that every party is working towards the same goals. "Very close communication with your partners allows you to see where the productivity issues are and work together to solve those, so I think aligning on the KPIs is fundamentally a critical step for success," he concluded.
Watch the full Red Sofa interview with Ben Shain from ALSC Global 2026.
