Global uncertainty continues to reshape supply chain operations, with many automotive OEMs forced to reconsider their approach to risk. Geopolitical tensions, evolving trade regulations and resource constraints create complex conditions for chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) and chief procurement officers (CPOs). NSCs are not immune either, with rising customer expectations around parts availability, delivery tracking and aftersales performance adding pressure to collaborate more closely with the procurement and manufacturing functions.
In many organisations, supply chain expectations have evolved far beyond ensuring the continuity of goods and services. CSCOs and CPOs are also tasked with meeting fast-approaching compliance deadlines for environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, particularly with the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) coming in September 2025.
All of this requires increased upstream visibility and closer collaboration throughout the ecosystem to align supply chain operations with real-world customer needs.
Visibility remains the critical gap
While post-COVID strategies emphasised multi-tier supply chain visibility and near-real-time risk mitigation, few organisations have successfully scaled these capabilities. Any progress is often limited to narrow segments of the upstream supply base — driven reactively by crises such as the semiconductor shortage.
Visibility remains low, however. In 2020, the Geodis Supply Chain Worldwide Survey found that only 6% of companies had fully seen their supply chain. This was even though it was the third-most important priority three years earlier.
In 2024, a McKinsey survey revealed that 40% of respondents either have no visibility into their upstream supply chain or only as far as their first-tier suppliers. This lack of end-to-end insight exposes large portions of the supply chain to disruption and risk.
Procurement and supply chain roles are converging
Responsibilities for supply chain resilience are now being shared across multiple functions. In many cases, procurement leaders are now responsible for initiatives that previously sat within supply chain teams. While supply chain executives focus on day-to-day continuity, procurement leaders are often in charge of longer-term transformation efforts.
Visibility and resilience must therefore be addressed at an organisational level, not within a single function. Cost pressures, inflationary risk, supplier capacity, geopolitical instability and ESG accountability affect multiple executive stakeholders, from the CPO and CSCO to the CFO. These aren’t isolated concerns; they represent a shared value-chain challenge that demands coordinated solutions.
National sales companies (NSCs) are also increasingly drawn into these challenges. With rising expectations around parts availability, delivery tracking and aftersales performance, NSCs require greater visibility into upstream operations. Under emerging retail models, NSCs must collaborate closely with manufacturing and procurement functions to meet customer expectations.
Collaboration across a devolved ecosystem
What is traditionally referred to as a ‘supply chain’ is, in practice, a vast and decentralised ecosystem. Years of global expansion have left supply chains increasingly removed from the customers they serve. Originally designed for efficiency, these global networks now demand better use of ecosystem data to deliver customer value.
Collaboration is essential to create a resilient, compliant, and customer-focused supply chain. Yet in many cases, data sharing beyond the first tier remains limited or non-existent. This constraint is particularly acute in the automotive and aerospace sectors, where deep supply chain knowledge is often fragmented.
This disconnect is not a failure of devolution itself, but of how it has been applied. Devolution can be powerful when it brings decision making closer to the customer.
For functions such as aftersales, parts availability and last-mile delivery, NSCs can align supply chain operations with real-world customer needs. However, they require visibility into upstream activity and the autonomy to act on that insight. True transformation occurs when devolved structures are supported by coordinated data, shared standards and aligned objectives.
Technology can help realign the supply chain with customer value, but implementation must be strategic. Mature cloud platforms, natural language processing (NLP), large language models (LLMs) and generative AI make probabilistic supply chain mapping a practical reality.
Business integration is the missing link
Technology investments often fail when they are not integrated into the operating model. Off-the-shelf risk tools rarely meet the nuanced needs of automotive organisations. Each business views risk through a different lens, and resilience solutions must be designed accordingly.
Achieving this requires a design approach. Without it, data abundance can overwhelm users. Thousands of alerts, if not properly calibrated, can derail transformation efforts. Successful deployment depends on aligning technical capabilities with real-world workflows and use cases.
A foundation of visibility
Whether resilience efforts are driven by procurement, supply chain or both, visibility should be the first step. With access to accurate and timely data across the value chain, organisations can unlock every downstream use case — from compliance to inventory optimisation.
With the growing maturity of supply chain visibility tools and third-party risk management (TPRM) capabilities, now is the time for automotive organisations to move from exploration to execution. The technology and data exist, but many organisations still struggle with implementation.
For manufacturers and NSCs, collaboration is key to supply chain visibility. Download our guide to delivering change in times of disruption. It explores a practical approach to transformation that breaks down silos, enables faster innovation and helps deliver value at scale.