Three learnings for long-term resiliency the automotive industry can take from other sectors in 2026

The automotive sector has historically prioritised LEAN and Just-in-Time (JIT) principles in the supply chain to minimise inventory, reduce waste and drive efficiency in competitive, high-volume manufacturing environments. While such a model has proven effective in more predictable environments, it is increasingly being tested by today’s logistics landscape, where black swan events are no longer viewed as rare exceptions but as risks that supply chain strategies must account for.

While industries ranging from e-commerce to data centres have rapidly adapted to market volatility, regulatory pressure and changing customer expectations, automotive has generally remained more closely tied to its traditional efficiency-first model. As a result, some of the most significant advances in supply chain innovation are now emerging elsewhere. Rather than abandoning LEAN principles, the challenge for automotive is to complement efficiency with greater resilience, visibility and flexibility.

With this in mind, GXO, the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider, has shared learnings the automotive sector can take from other industries in three key areas, to help build more resilient operations and regain a leading position in supply chain innovation.

Taking advantage of technology in the aftermarket

Although automotive led the adoption of automation in production, the aftermarket has lagged behind despite being one of the most complex and variable parts of the supply chain. 

As Martin Cooper, managing director for technology and consumer goods at GXO, identified, today’s aftermarket networks operate with large SKU ranges, unpredictable demand patterns and increasing pressure for speed, creating a strong case for automation.

"The opportunity lies in selectively deploying robotics where it delivers the most value: goods‑to‑person systems to handle high‑volume picking, automation to improve inventory accuracy in dense storage environments and digital tools that optimise order prioritisation in real time," he said. "This isn’t about fully automating the warehouse but about stabilising operations, reducing dependency on scarce labour and improving consistency at scale."

"We’re now seeing aftermarket operations evolve from labour‑intensive environments into more structured, technology‑enabled networks," continued Cooper. "For automotive companies, this represents a significant opportunity to improve service levels, manage complexity more effectively and build operations that can adapt to ongoing demand volatility.

Data-driven visibility and predictive decision-making

As supply chains become more complex, visibility is evolving from a reporting function into a decision-making tool. While automotive forecasting has traditionally been long-cycle and production-driven, built around stable demand assumptions and fixed production plans, today's increasingly volatile operating environment demands a more dynamic approach.

According to Cooper, sectors such as e-commerce and data centres are setting the benchmark. While e-commerce has redefined expectations around real-time visibility, speed and customer transparency, data centre operators are taking things a step further by building supply chains around predictive, integrated data environments.

"At hyperscale, data operators are managing simultaneous global deployments where logistics has become part of the critical infrastructure itself, requiring precise coordination across manufacturing, transit, compliance and site readiness," he said. "To support this, supply chains are built around real-time, API-driven data integration, creating a single source of truth with continuous visibility across inventory, shipments and demand."

Crucially, Cooper argued that the value lies not in visibility itself, but in the ability to act on it. "The intelligence embedded in these systems is predictive rather than retrospective, enabling decisions to be made proactively as part of a coordinated plan, not just in response to disruption," he said.

At GXO, this approach is supported by GXO IQ, the company's AI-powered logistics execution platform, which enables predictive inventory management and operational planning through bi-directional data flows. The result, Cooper said, is a shift from fragmented, reactive logistics towards a more orchestrated model that aligns planning and execution across regions and functions.

"Together, these sectors are shifting the benchmark from visibility as a reporting function to visibility as a decision system," Cooper added. "For automotive, the opportunity is to adopt both approaches, combining e-commerce-style responsiveness with the predictive, coordinated execution seen in more complex, infrastructure-driven environments."

Future-proofing with long-term partnerships

A final learning the automotive industry can take from outside the sector is the need for long-term partnerships. These create the stability and shared accountability needed to invest in more advanced capabilities, from automation and digital platforms to more flexible, scalable network design.

Cooper noted that in more complex sectors like data centres, this kind of partnership enables a shift from fragmented, transactional logistics to fully orchestrated supply chains, where planning, execution and data integration are closely aligned. That level of coordination – including predictive inventory management, real time data integration and multi-site deployment capability – he said simply isn’t achievable in short-term engagements.

GXO is a silver partner of Automotive Logistics & Supply Chain United Kingdom – speak to the GXO team at the event

17-18 June 2026 | Mercedes Benz World, Weybridge, UK

"Ultimately, longer-term relationships align around a common objective to design a better operating model together, underpinned by shared ways of working and a joint commitment to invest in improvements that enhance performance, resilience and efficiency over time," Cooper commented.

Recently, a long-term partnership between GXO and a global automotive OEM enabled the design and implementation of a high‑density aftermarket facility supported by lean methodologies and continuous improvement. "This delivered faster service levels, ongoing cost savings through kaizen activity, and ultimately led to further network expansion – outcomes that would be difficult to achieve under a short‑term contract," said Cooper.

Cooper argued that logistics partners with experience across multiple sectors can help automotive companies adopt proven approaches from industries further advanced in areas such as visibility, resilience and responsiveness. "The companies that will lead are those willing to embrace new ideas, accelerate digitalisation and work with partners who bring fresh perspectives and translate them into practical, measurable performance gains," he concluded.