Rivian scales supply chain and logistics capacity for R2 growth
Rivian vice-president for logistics Michael Schwaeble discusses scaling logistics for the R2, building material flow into its Georgia plant and developing closer relationships with suppliers, ports and logistics providers.
Scaling is the defining logistics challenge for Rivian as the EV maker expands into the midsize vehicle segment with the R2 and prepares its new manufacturing facility in Georgia.
Speaking on the Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain Red Sofa at ALSC Global 2026, Michael Schwaeble, vice-president for logistics at Rivian, outlined how the carmaker is expanding its logistics network, adding consolidation capacity and working more directly with logistics providers, ports and suppliers.
“It’s all about scaling here at Rivian,” said Schwaeble. “We have a good market share in the upper segment of electric vehicles and SUVs, but now we’re at the point and price segment that is very attractive to a lot of customers and consumers.”
That growth means expanding inbound logistics capacity alongside production. Rivian has added consolidation centres and increased flows through its warehouses, while its logistics partners are also being asked to scale alongside the business.
The company’s direct-to-consumer model adds another dimension. Schwaeble said Rivian needs to expand its delivery network at the same pace as manufacturing so that increasing production can translate into vehicles reaching customers on time.
Logistics shapes Rivian’s Georgia plant
One of the biggest opportunities is Rivian’s planned manufacturing facility at Stanton Springs, Georgia, where logistics has been involved from the earliest stages of development.
“We laid the design of the manufacturing site in Stanton Springs in Georgia really material-flow focused,” Schwaeble said. “We were really part of that design.”
Rivian is also looking to take greater control over elements of its wider logistics network. That includes developing more direct relationships for overseas shipping and with ports, rather than relying as heavily on point-to-point logistics responsibilities outsourced to providers.
The company’s vertically integrated approach to EV technology also shapes its supply chain requirements. Rivian builds its own electric motors and has significant in-house battery expertise, while Schwaeble highlighted semiconductors and battery cells as particularly important areas for securing material flow.
Its software-centric vehicle architecture can offer logistics advantages, too. Over-the-air updates allow Rivian to separate hardware availability from software configuration in some circumstances, reducing the need for every component to arrive at precisely the final software level required by the vehicle.
“You can decouple those two things, which is an advantage for us,” Schwaeble said.
For Schwaeble, however, successful scaling is as much about people and partnerships as physical capacity.
“You have to reinvent yourself constantly and you need to be open and mindful for change,” he said. “If you go through that together – internally with the team, but also with partners – you end up stronger.”
Watch the full Red Sofa interview with Michael Schwaeble from ALSC Global 2026.
