Nissan's De la Torre emphasizes the importance of accuracy and timing in implementing a four-part plan for real-time resilience throughout the Americas.
Nissan Group of Americas is embarking on a multi-pillar digital transformation of its supply chain, aiming to build resilience and agility. The transformation is led by Gerardo de la Torre, who heads the carmaker's innovation group and digital action plan for supply chain across the region.
At the heart of this transformation is a robust data infrastructure, centred on a data lake, enabling seamless integration and centralisation of disparate data streams. This infrastructure is supported by a strategic partnership with third-party analytics providers, enhancing Tier-N visibility from external perspectives.
Nissan is also partnering with a security provider that monitors the dark web for signs of potential breaches, ensuring the digital supply chain's security. The company's Manufacturing Cybersecurity Supplier Program (MCSP) is structured and adaptive, evaluating more than 24 dimensions of supplier security preparedness.
The MCSP helps identify high-risk suppliers before vulnerabilities escalate into disruptions. More than 94% of Nissan's MFG parts suppliers in the Americas have voluntarily onboarded the Tier-N Sourcing Data Platform, sharing data through a secure and confidential channel.
Tier-N visibility and digital compliance tools have been implemented to create a more agile, predictive approach. The Tier-N Sourcing Data Digital Platform provides a comprehensive view of Nissan's entire supplier ecosystem, reaching as deep as tier-five to Tier-N, and has evolved into one of the company's most strategic assets.
Nissan has updated its official policies, including a newly ratified SCM policy that codifies the company's commitment to human rights. The company has established the Nissan Supply Chain Compliance Steering Committee to oversee strategic alignment and oversight across regional and global teams.
De la Torre, in his philosophy for Nissan's supply chain transformation, emphasizes the role of humility, clarity of purpose, and relentless commitment to people. He advises logistics executives to remain humble, be consistent, supportive leaders, speak their minds if they don't have full support from top executives, ensure visibility and accountability, nurture passion, and enjoy their work.
As Nissan moves forward with its digital transformation, it is turning its attention to next-generation technologies, most notably AI and digital twins. The company has launched a Data and Analytics Skill Academy to empower employees with the capabilities needed to harness these new digital tools and generate actionable insights.
South America, particularly Brazil, has been strategically integrated into Nissan's supply chain organisation, reflecting a regionalisation model powered by unified digital infrastructure. This integration is part of the strategy's anchoring in four pillars: People and skills development, Data and analytics, Regionalisation and system reintegration, and Risk sensing and resilience.
