This interview analysis is sponsored by Arkestro and was written, edited, and published in alignment with our Emerj sponsored content guidelines. Learn more about our thought leadership and content creation services on our Emerj Media Services page.
Limited visibility and siloed operations can present significant challenges for organizations, as disconnected systems and processes create inefficiencies and hinder collaboration.
Research from The International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science explains that disconnected systems and processes lead to inefficiencies, restricted collaboration, and fragmented decision-making. These inefficiencies impact organizational agility and responsiveness, which can cause businesses to struggle with adapting to disruptions and aligning strategies effectively.
This lack of visibility comes at a significant cost. For example, the Natural Resources Defense Fund (NRDF) reported that America wastes 40% of food produced in the United States, costing approximately $218 billion annually. Part of the waste is due to a lack of data collection, which results in data siloing.
Emerj Senior Editor Matthew DeMello recently sat down with William Seagrave, SVP of Product Solutions, Arkestro, and Sambit Dutta, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Transformation, Nestlé USA, to talk about how AI-driven systems, automation, and intelligent data frameworks can revolutionize procurement and supply chain management by addressing inefficiencies, scaling operations, and improving decision-making.
Nestlé USA‘s food and beverage portfolio includes some of the most recognizable brands in the United States, including Coffee mate, DiGiorno, Nestlé Toll House, and Nescafé. Arkestro is a tech company that provides clients with a predictive orchestration platform that leverages machine learning and data science to optimize procurement processes.
Their unique experience brings practical depth to the conversation. Bill emphasizes the strategic shift in procurement from manual processes to automated systems, driving operational efficiency and margin growth. Meanwhile, Sambit highlights the transformative potential of AI-driven, agent-based frameworks to enhance decision-making and optimize procurement workflows.
The following analysis examines two critical insights from their conversation:
- Transitioning to signal-based systems for proactive supply chain management: Integrating advanced AI technologies, such as signal-based systems and digital twins, to autonomously simulate risks and provide actionable insights across the supply chain, enabling organizations to proactively address vulnerabilities and improve decision-making.
- Adopting agent-based frameworks for efficiency: Leveraging agent-based frameworks in procurement to handle repetitive tasks and process signals autonomously, enabling faster and optimized operations.
Guest: William Seagrave, SVP of Product Solutions, Arkestro
Expertise: Supply Chain, Procurement, Sales Execution
Brief Recognition: William Seagrave is the SVP of Product Solutions at Arkestro. In his over 30-year career, he has launched new products, creating new revenue growth exceeding $10 billion in annual sales. He has multi-industry experience with product lines, including supply chain, manufacturing, procurement, financial services, biotechnology, enterprise applications, big data analytics, networks, and others.
Guest: Sambit Dutta, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Transformation, Nestlé USA
Expertise: Business reinvention, digital strategy, and AI-enabled transportation optimization.
Brief Recognition: Sambit Dutta leads Nestlé USA’s Digital Strategy and Transformation, leveraging digital and advanced technologies. Before joining Nestlé, he held senior roles at Ecolab and Land O’Lakes. He brings over 16 years of experience from Deloitte and Capgemini, where he specializes in retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG), and manufacturing. Sambit holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore.
Transitioning to Signal-Based Systems for Proactive Supply Chain Management
Sambit opens the conversation by highlighting the shift from traditional, linear score models to advanced AI-driven intelligence systems. He explains that many organizations have historically structured their processes, applications, and information management around these linear models, which, while effective, can be limited in scalability and adaptability. However, organizations that have invested in robust processes, data systems, and cloud infrastructure are well-positioned to evolve.
While fully packaged AI solutions are not yet available, organizations can leverage their existing infrastructure to orchestrate data across systems and create signal-based intelligent systems.
These systems can autonomously evaluate scenarios, simulate outcomes using digital twin technology, and provide actionable insights across the supply chain. Even though certain functions, like procurement, may remain siloed, these advanced systems enable a comprehensive view of the entire supply chain, empowering more informed and proactive decision-making.
Sambit provides an example to illustrate the potential of advanced technologies in building resilient systems. He references an MIT project that developed a machine learning system capable of simulating risks within a network.
Sambit explains that the MIT system allows users to model their inputs, map their network, and identify vulnerabilities, such as single points of failure or risks arising from natural events. It can also assess the potential impact of disruptions on sales if a critical component in the bill of materials is compromised.
Sambit sees this solution as a glimpse of the future. He suggests that if such simulations were scaled across an entire network or value chain, they could achieve the broader vision of comprehensive risk assessment and resilience.
The challenge, he notes, lies in scaling these innovations to enterprise-level systems. Without such scaling, organizations risk being limited by isolated applications that have potential but fail to deliver transformative benefits across the entire value chain.
William agrees with Sambit’s perspective and emphasizes the fundamental need to rethink traditional approaches to data and system architecture. He highlights that 24 years into the 21st century, the old linear constructs and architectures — designed primarily to provide visibility — are no longer sufficient. The focus now must shift to execution, particularly in handling complex and large-scale demand.
William also underscores that this evolution toward autonomous and scalable systems isn’t just about efficiency — it also creates opportunities for better supplier relationships, more competitive pricing, and alignment with broader business and sustainability goals.
Adopting Agent-Based Frameworks for Efficiency
Sambit expresses enthusiasm for the potential of generative AI, mainly through agent-based frameworks, which employ software agents to perform tasks autonomously. These agents, when integrated with advanced data models, can handle specific operations faster and more efficiently than humans ever could, especially in areas like procurement.
Sambit points out that even with a large team of procurement professionals, the complexity and volume of demands could still lead to inefficiencies, making solely human-driven processes inherently suboptimal:
“And I think from a culture perspective, what has to happen is that we still talk about the concept of co-pilot, we have the human-in-the-loop, and the humans are still making the decision…
But people who will be able to transition back and say that ‘I can actually put agents to use, not everywhere, but in places where the agents can make decisions, get the signals coming from the external-internal supply chain, and do things in an expeditious way, an optimized way…’ That is the most optimal way people can operate going forward, and there are many examples of that in procurement.”
– Sambit Dutta, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Transformation at Nestlé USA
Bill emphasizes that strategic procurement is the key to success. By leveraging autonomous, agent-based frameworks, we can transform procurement by eliminating manual tasks, allowing teams to focus on strategy and decision-making. This insight empowers us to be more strategic in our approach.
By shifting from revenue growth management (RGM) to margin growth management (MGM), procurement can significantly impact profitability. For example, saving $1 billion in spend equates to $7 billion in revenue, offering a high ROI. This strategic shift elevates procurement from a cost center to a key driver of business value, earning greater recognition and influence within the organization.
Sambit points out that procurement professionals currently spend up to 70% of their time on manual, repetitive activities — like responding to supplier inquiries or managing tedious internal processes — which can limit their ability to focus on higher-value initiatives.
By automating these tactical tasks, procurement teams can redirect their efforts toward strategic objectives, such as rethinking end-to-end procurement strategies. Sambit emphasizes that accurate strategic procurement involves more than simple component substitutions; it requires a holistic approach to cost reduction, food management, and integrated operations across silos.
However, he says, achieving this vision hinges on providing professionals with the tools and time to think strategically, highlighting the importance of automation and process evolution.
