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ARTICLE · 16 MARCH 2026

Why Legal Strategy Now Defines Supply‑chain Strength

Gowling WLG
Gowling WLG
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Gowling WLG

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Both the automotive sector and the broader advanced‑manufacturing landscape are facing levels of disruption unseen in decades.

United KingdomStrategy
Sarah Riding
Sarah Riding
Tom Cox
Tom Cox
Michael Carter
Michael Carter
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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:

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