This speaker interview is with Camilo Ruiz Restrepo, Regional Procurement & Purchasing Leader, Alliance Purchasing Organization – APO South America for  Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi.

Camilo currently works in the Purchasing & Procurement area of raw materials for Renault & Nissan in South America as strategic leader for Polymers and Fluids. The main focus/mission is to guarantee that the products are increasingly sustainable and friendly to the environment in addition to economic competitiveness in order to challenge local industry.

How do you see the industry developing and growing in the next three-to-five years?

The automotive sector has some great challenges in the short term in terms of a sustainable image, optimization of raw materials and evolution of the expectations of the final customer. The regulations that may be established by governments regarding a more conscious consumption and life cycle of products deserve the attention of the industry, mainly the Eco Design & Eco Conception teams.

What do you consider to be the biggest challenges facing the industry at the moment? 

Nowadays our clients’ expectations have changed since the society has created more awareness for environmental issues related to market offer. The media has a big role with this improvement because more companies are committed to assertive and transparent communication about the real sustainability of their products. Having said that, the industry had to adapt their processes and product (in some case their business model) standard to fit into this new volatile and aware demand.

In your view, what has been the most exciting development in the industry in the last couple of years? And why?

Considering the automotive industry, in my opinion, the most significant developments is the mass production and availability of autonomous vehicles. This is an advance for society and industry in general that deserves a significant relevance due to its high contribution to the quality of life, comfort of people and conscious consumption (reduction of the impact on the environment).

Camilo has a keynote on 'Sustainable procurement strategies in automotive industry' at the Plastic Recycling World Expo Conference 2022.