Interview: Eva Lezcano & Achilles on AI and Sustainability

The SCM Leaders Forum in Barcelona, held at the HPP Innovation Centre and hosted by Industry IoT, brought together industry-leading names in manufacturing, supply chain and sustainability. 

Over the course of two days in March, senior leaders from the likes of Barry Callebaut, Bayer, Coca-Cola, Danone and L’Oréal shared timely and relevant insights and best practice.

Among the key speakers was Eva Lezcano, Regional Director for Southern Europe at Achilles. 

Speaking with Manufacturing Digital, she outlined how the company equips manufacturers and other supply chain-heavy industries to operate with more efficiency and lower emissions.

Efficiency through a centralised platform

Achilles has worked in supply chain management for more than 30 years, helping companies reduce risk and increase visibility across their networks.

Eva oversees operations across Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Greece focused on three clear goals: operational efficiency, expanding business opportunities and boosting global brand recognition.

“My daily job is mainly trying to make our customers' operations more efficient, to explore other business opportunities and to make our brand more recognisable across the world,” she says.

The company’s core service lies in a platform that combines risk and compliance tools, including ESG and financial scoring. 

Users can access these through a single interface, along with both on-site and remote audit capabilities and contract management support.

“Basically, we provide a 360-degree, holistic solution to all of our customers, instead of having to adopt many different solutions, which is obviously less costly for them," she explains.

This all-in-one model helps companies to move away from scattered approaches that often lead to higher costs and lower visibility. 

By integrating ESG scoring and auditing into its core platform, Achilles offers a streamlined route for manufacturers looking to get a handle on their sustainability performance.

Standardised scores support decarbonisation

The push for organisations to drive towards more sustainable supply chains is increasing across sectors, especially under tightening regulations and governance. 

Achilles supports firms in meeting these requirements through a standardised audit approach.

"We have experts in our company that can provide support to have best practices in terms of sustainability," says Eva. "Right now, we have a standardised score that we can provide to our customers directly in the Achilles platform."

The company’s unified ESG scoring framework is built in collaboration with large international brands. It draws on input from companies in sectors including energy, banking, transport and hospitality.

“It has been built by well-known and large brands,” Eva affirms. "This is a way where they can easily take advantage of the work that has been done before."

AI and and predictive manufacturing

Technology also plays a pivotal role in how Achilles helps manufacturers manage their supply chains. 

For example, the company uses AI to deliver faster supplier assessments via a proprietary algorithm.

"We have developed an algorithm that is a predictive way of scoring," adds Eva. "From day one, customers have this at their disposal; we just need a list of their suppliers."

This approach eliminates the delays associated with traditional onboarding and scoring methods. It also increases accuracy by using data-backed predictive modelling.

"We have proven that, when the supplier responds properly to the questions, the algorithm is 98% accurate,” Eva notes. “It's a beautiful way to have immediate information without lots of effort."

The tool reduces admin and gives teams and their organisations quick visibility into which suppliers meet standards, which pose risks and where improvements might be needed. 

Its goal is to deliver quicker, data-informed decisions without the resource load that manual processes demand.

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