Both the automotive sector and the broader advanced‑manufacturing landscape are facing levels of disruption unseen in decades. Procurement teams sit at the centre of this pressure: they must manage volatile markets, evolving technologies, and tightening regulation, all while ensuring supply continuity and competitiveness. Increasingly, these challenges are not simply operational or commercial – they are legal.

This piece outlines the key issues shaping procurement today, the trends emerging in response, and how legal teams are now critical partners in building stronger, more resilient supply chains.

What are the key issues facing procurement teams?

Reflecting on the past four years, three challenges consistently dominate both automotive and advanced manufacturing:

Rising volatility from geopolitical, environmental and logistical shocks

Supply chains now operate in a world where disruption is the norm, not the exception. Border closures, energy instability, freight constraints, workforce shortages, and climate‑driven events routinely alter supply availability and cost. Companies must plan for volatility rather than treat it as anomalous.

Accelerating technological evolution

New manufacturing technologies, electrification, automation, AI‑enabled systems, and digital‑supply‑chain tools continue to reshape procurement needs. Early supplier alignment is crucial, but many of these technologies give rise to new intellectual property (IP) and integration risks, and premature commitment can hard‑wire businesses into technologies that may later prove suboptimal.

Expanding and shifting regulatory obligations

Emissions rules, ESG disclosures, due‑diligence laws, product‑compliance requirements, cross‑border trade rules and industrial‑strategy incentives are increasing in complexity. Procurement teams must now operate within intricate regulatory frameworks where non‑compliance carries financial, operational, and reputational risk.

What new trends are shaping how companies respond?

Across both automotive and wider advanced manufacturing, organisations are adopting several strategic approaches:

Pricing and allocation for risk

Procurement strategies increasingly integrate risk‑based cost modelling, recognising that the cheapest upfront option often carries the highest downstream exposure. Companies now expect suppliers to share risk transparently and require contracts that allocate it robustly.

Increased ownership or investment in supply chains

To secure critical inputs, reduce geopolitical exposure, and gain transparency, businesses are taking greater control of upstream tiers, including through joint ventures, long‑term capacity agreements, or direct investment.

More strategic procurement beyond lowest acquisition cost

Total cost of ownership, factoring in disruption, quality failures, non‑compliance risk, logistics, ESG liabilities, IP risks and resilience, now outweighs headline unit price. The cheapest bid rarely represents the best value.

Co‑development of new technology

OEMs and suppliers are collaborating earlier to align technology roadmaps. While this accelerates innovation, it also introduces challenges around IP ownership, trade secret management, exclusivity, liability, and the risk of locking into the wrong solution too early.

Increased transparency and data sharing

Companies want clearer visibility on pricing methodology, cost drivers, assumptions, origin data, ESG metrics, and risk controls. Suppliers in turn require assurance that shared data will be protected and handled lawfully.

Enhanced due diligence, especially on ESG

Procurement teams are scrutinising suppliers more closely, environmental performance, labour practices, ethical sourcing, traceability, and compliance with emerging due‑diligence regimes are now central to supplier selection and audit.

Greater adoption of AI

AI is being used to map supply chains, model risk and demand, and monitor global developments. But AI outputs must be validated and governed, and companies need clarity on where machine insight ends and legal accountability begins.

Stronger engagement with regulatory reform

Businesses are monitoring regulatory change more actively, recognising that future rules will shape investment, technology choices, and supply‑chain configuration. This includes around the increased regulation of software, imposing greater obligations on SDVs.

How can legal teams assist and why is their role expanding?

Legal teams now sit at the heart of supply‑chain competitiveness, providing critical support across several dimensions:

Advanced contract drafting for better risk allocation

Complex supply environments require sophisticated contractual mechanisms – from phased commitments and price‑adjustment models to force‑majeure clarity, detailed performance obligations, and legally enforceable transparency frameworks.

Assistance with acquisitions, investments and supply‑chain restructuring

Whether businesses are securing upstream capacity, forming joint ventures, or reshoring activities, legal teams structure, negotiate and de‑risk investment decisions.

Protection of IP rights and robust collaboration frameworks

Co‑development requires careful consideration of IP ownership, trade secret management (including onboarding and employee exit processes), allocation of IP risk, data‑usage, licensing, exclusivity and commercial‑trigger provisions, enabling parallel development and innovation without exposing the business to undue lock‑in or value leakage. Understanding how patents relating to standardised technologies such as cellular connectivity, Wi-Fi and video codecs are managed within the supply chain (including any existing licences) is important in managing patent risk.

Regulating and enabling increased data sharing

With transparency comes legal risk. Legal teams ensure data-sharing agreements meet competition law, confidentiality, cybersecurity, and data‑protection requirements, enabling visibility without compromising compliance.

Identifying and navigating ESG and regulatory risks

From supply‑chain due‑diligence laws to emissions, product compliance, trade restrictions, and sustainability reporting, legal teams help organisations assess exposure, design mitigation plans, and remain audit-ready.

Managing and resolving disputes effectively

In an environment of increasing uncertainty, robust early‑resolution mechanisms, mediation strategies, and litigation readiness are important safeguards when performance issues arise.

Legal as a driver of confidence and competitiveness

Supply‑chain excellence is no longer possible without legal excellence. In a world defined by volatility, technological transition, and regulatory expansion, legal strategy provides the structure, clarity and confidence that businesses need to move decisively.

Legal teams don’t just mitigate risk, they help identify opportunities, safeguard innovation, enable investment, and create supplier ecosystems that are resilient, transparent and future‑ready. As automotive and advanced‑manufacturing organisations navigate the next wave of change, legal insight will be central to building supply chains that can withstand disruption and compete at global scale.

Our Automotive team brings together specialists from across our procurement, supply chain, regulatory, commercial, disputes and ESG practices. We work closely with manufacturers, suppliers and technology partners on the full range of industry challenges. If you would like to understand how these trends may impact your operations or discuss specific concerns, please get in touch with Sarah Riding, Tom Cox, Michael Carter or any member of our team.