Top 5 Stories in Procurement: Pivot, Ford, Zip & Syspro

Article Procurement Strategy Top 5 Stories in Procurement: Pivot, Ford, Zip & Syspro By Georgia Collins May 23, 2026 undefined mins Share Share Procurement Magazine's Top Five Stories Procurement Magazine explores some of the biggest stories of the past week, including Pivot, Ford Energy, Zip and Syspro Q&A: ZIP’s Rujul Zaparde on Investing in Procurement AI Zip Forward London brought together more than 300 procurement and finance leaders. Over the space of one day, leaders had the opportunity to strategise and develop a bold new vision for the future of the industry.  At the event, Procurement Magazine spoke to Rujul Zaparde, CoFounder and CEO at Zip to hear about investments in AI adoption across procurement. Rujul highlights Zip's commitment to the EMEA region, noting that its AI orchestration layer connects disparate enterprise stacks. By embedding intelligent agents directly into procurement workflows, the platform delivers comprehensive insights.  This strategic automation empowers organisations to successfully navigate complex regulatory environments while driving maximum efficiency, allowing teams to shift focus from manual tasks to high-value strategy. How AI Procurement Platform Pivot Raised $70m Pivot Co-Founders Left to Right: Marc-Antoine Lacroix, Estelle Giuly and Romain Libeau Pivot – an AI operating system for procurement  – has raised US$40m in its latest funding round, taking its total amount raised since 2023 to US$70m.  The Series B funding round was led by Forestay Capital and Notion Capital, with participation from Greyhound and EcoVadis, as well as existing investors Hedosophia, Visionaries Club and Emblem.  With this capital, Pivot will accelerate the development of its agentic AI capabilities, expanding into new markets and deepening its integrations with ERPs and financial systems across complex environments.  “Enterprise procurement has been overdue for a generational shift,” says Deborah Pittet, Partner at Forestay Capital. How is Ford Repurposing an Idle EV Battery Facility? Lisa Drake, President of Ford Energy The automotive manufacturer has transformed an idle electric vehicle battery facility into a utility-scale BESS production site and secured a multi-year supply agreement with EDF power solutions North America. Ford has established Ford Energy as a wholly owned subsidiary to manufacture battery energy storage systems. The company is converting an existing US electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in Glendale, Kentucky to produce utility-scale energy storage products. Ford plans to deploy at least 20 GWh each year with first customer deliveries scheduled for 2027. "Ford Energy allows us to maximise the value of our battery manufacturing capabilities," says Lisa Drake, President of Ford Energy. "We're building a business focused first on utility-scale battery energy storage systems for large customers while also offering battery cells for residential energy storage solutions." Syspro Embeds Payment Infrastructure into Procurement ERP Johan du Toit, SVP Strategic Growth at Syspro. Credit: Johan du Toit/LinkedIn Manufacturing software company Syspro has formed a partnership with financial technology company Nuvei to embed integrated payments into its enterprise resource planning platform. The integration connects sales orders and accounts receivable to payment infrastructure across more than 200 markets. The partnership extends Syspro's PayThem Payment Gateway and demonstrates how procurement systems are absorbing financial operations that previously sat outside core platforms. According to McKinsey, industrial companies investing in software to enable new revenue sources can see enterprise value grow up to 1.5 times. Why You Should Enter the Global Procurement Awards 2026 Procurement & Supply Chain Awards 2025 | Credit: BizClik Procurement has undergone a fundamental shift. Once seen primarily as a cost-centre, it is now a source of competitive advantage, driving efficiency and savings while advancing sustainability, innovation and ethical practices across global supply chains.  On 8 September 2026, the Global Procurement Awards  will take place at the iconic JW Marriott Grosvenor House London. Bringing together the world's leading procurement professionals, the awards will be an exclusive black-tie gala dinner celebrating excellence, innovation and leadership across the industry.  Brought to you in association with Procurement Magazine, the event will honour the companies and executives transforming procurement on a global scale. Company portals BizClik Ford Motor Pivot Syspro Zip Executives Estelle Giuly Co-Founder & CPTO Johan du Toit SVP Strategic Growth Lisa Drake President of Ford Energy Marc-Antoine Lacroix Co-Founder & CEO Romain Libeau Co-Founder Rujul Zaparde co-founder and CEO of Zip Tags Technology AI Energy Awards