Nissan & Arkestro: The Predictive Procurement Transformation

The role of procurement has changed dramatically in recent years, with it becoming less of a 'back-office' concept and more of a strategic driver of resilience.

With this shift comes a call for modernisation across procurement functions, with teams around the world looking to shift their strategy.

Following a growing understanding of procurement's importance, Nissan is teaming up with Arkestro to improve its operations.

Shifting landscapes

Global markets have faced increasing volatility over the last few years, with the priority moving away from efficiency and towards resilience. Procurement teams have been facing increasing pressure as a result, with higher expectations to predict volatility, track disruptions and develop supplier partnerships, all while ensuring cost savings and beneficial contracts. 

In order to adapt to modern procurement needs, many organisations are turning towards the help of AI and procurement technology. Arkestro is a leader in predictive procurement platforms, working to ensure supply chain agility alongside enterprise spend transformation. The platform merges AI and game theory with its own patented science technologies – Negotiation Science, Supplier Science, and Process Science. 

Through this, it shifts traditional procurement into becoming a proactive, results-driven function. As a result, Nissan Americas has adopted this technology to modernise its own procurement processes.

Nissan is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer, operating in the US as Nissan Americas. By choosing Arkestro's technology to improve data visibility, support competitive procurement activities and increase sourcing efficiency, it is strengthening Arkestro's position in the automotive sector. Through this partnership, Nissan Americas is set to gain stronger supply chain resilience and mitigate cost volatility.

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• Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE: The Net Zero Summit - QEII Centre, London, March 4-5
• Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE: The US Summit - Navy Pier, Chicago, April 21-22

Co-located with Sustainability LIVE, these events brings together CPOs, CSCO, CSOs, ESG leaders and senior decision-makers at a moment when sustainability, supply chains and commercial performance are increasingly interconnected.

Tickets can be booked online today for The Net Zero Summit and The US Summit. Group discounts available.

The need for change

The automotive industry is, according to S&P Global, undergoing a fundamental shift. Automotive procurement is facing challenges from fragmented global economies and complex supply chains, particularly as many automakers operate within just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing – when materials and products are delivered exactly when needed in order to minimise inventory costs and improve efficiency.

This reliance on third-party vendors develops long-term relationships with suppliers but requires highly accurate demand forecasting in order to negate supply chain vulnerability through delays in supplier delivery. An increase in Black Swan events throughout 2025 – including the attack on JLR – has exposed the risk of JIT management, resulting in increased hybrid models utilising selective stockpiling of critical components.

Alongside this, general procurement strategy is changing, with a need to react better to challenges, or avoid them completely through accurate predictions. As traditional cost-saving tactics become less effective, procurement teams are turning away from traditional strategies and embracing new technology.

Nissan is utilising the platform across its North American operations, applying to teams across the US, Canada and Mexico. Through this, teams will utilise tools to enhance efficiency, expand competitive opportunities and encourage consistency and transparency for suppliers across indirect and direct spend.

Procurement transformation

Arkestro's game-theoretic capabilities and automation prevent time and efficiency barriers which makes traditional procurement processes slower. It helps organisations address issues related to data access, speed and event management, by streamlining sourcing workflows. 

"We are pleased to work with Nissan as they explore new tools to support their procurement transformation efforts," says Rob DeSantis, CEO and co‑founder of Arkestro. 

"Our platform is built to help organisations create more efficient, transparent, and resilient sourcing processes."

Arkestro is offering Nissan the opportunity to accelerate sourcing, therefore cutting average event cycle times and reducing costs significantly. In doing this, procurement leaders can spend less time sourcing and more time on their other tasks, without cutting corners or sacrificing quality. Moreover, it meets the requirement of lower spend.

It can also boost supply chain resilience due to its predictive nature. By blending its fact-based strategies and AI-powered supplier selection through its accurate prediction capabilities, Arkestro can spot at-risk suppliers, quickly identify alternatives and therefore mitigate risk amid a volatile environment. 

For a company such as Nissan, these are necessary tools to maintain competitiveness and operational resilience.