Digital Furniture Piece: Red Sofa | Insights from Nissan's Gerardo de la Torre on Boosting Transparency in Supply Chain Operations via Digital Tools
In the heart of Nashville, at the Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain Digital Strategies North America 2025 conference, Gerardo de la Torre, regional senior director of supply chain management at Nissan Group of the Americas, took a seat on the Red Sofa to discuss the benefits of digitalization tools in Nissan's supply chain.
De la Torre highlighted the link between visibility, cybersecurity, and compliance in Nissan's digital resilience strategy. The manufacturer of the supplier visibility platform used by Nissan remains unidentified in the provided search results, but the platform plays a crucial role in Nissan's approach to supply chain management.
This digital platform provides visibility across all tiers of suppliers, allowing Nissan to understand run-out dates for rare earth materials, a critical component in the production of electric vehicles. The platform is included in Nissan's non-disclosure agreements and is part of the official documentation for new product development.
The supplier visibility platform is a key tool in Nissan's strategy to mitigate risk, unlock efficiency, and ensure regulatory readiness. It enables Nissan to capture the content of tier-one, tier-two, tier-three, and tier-N suppliers, providing a comprehensive understanding of its supply chain.
The platform is also a useful tool in understanding the sources of rare earth materials for Nissan and its tier-one suppliers. By having this insight, Nissan can work towards building end-to-end digital resilience in its supply chain, linking visibility, cybersecurity, and compliance.
De la Torre's comments indicate a focus on efficiency, resilience, and productivity in Nissan's use of technology. He emphasised that Nissan's focus is on becoming more efficient, resilient, and productive through technology. The supplier visibility platform is a component of this strategy, serving as a tool that Nissan uses in collaboration with its tier-ones.
The platform is also a component of Nissan's resilience strategy in the face of mounting external pressures, such as the rare earth mineral shortage. It allows Nissan to understand who the tier-one suppliers' tier-ones are, providing a deeper understanding of the supply chain and enabling Nissan to make informed decisions.
The discussion at the Red Sofa, and the broader Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain Digital Strategies North America 2025 conference, underscored the importance of digitalization tools in modern supply chain management. As Nissan continues to navigate the complexities of the global market, its focus on digital resilience is likely to be a key factor in its success.
