A few years ago, supply chain conversations across cleantech and electrotechnology were largely focused on efficiency.

Cost. Speed. Reliability.

That mindset belonged to a period when global supply chains were optimised for scale and predictability. Today, it feels increasingly distant.

As the energy and mobility transitions accelerate, supply chains are being asked to do far more than deliver components on time. Geopolitics, regulation, sustainability expectations and the push for localisation are reshaping how companies source, plan and operate. What was once considered a back-office function is now a core strategic capability.

From efficiency to resilience

For much of the last decade, globalisation delivered clear benefits. Long, complex supply chains reduced costs and supported rapid scaling. Risk existed, but it was largely tolerated or assumed to be manageable.

That assumption has been tested repeatedly.

Pandemic disruption, geopolitical tension, trade friction and concerns around energy security have exposed how fragile many supply chains really are. In response, governments, particularly across Europe, are reassessing how dependent they want to be on single regions or suppliers for critical technologies and materials.
The outcome is a structural shift. Resilience now sits alongside efficiency as a defining priority.

For businesses operating in electrification, energy infrastructure and industrial decarbonisation, this shift is not theoretical. It directly influences sourcing strategies, supplier relationships, inventory policies and long-term capacity planning. Decisions that were once optimised almost exclusively for cost must now balance risk, continuity and flexibility.

Regulation is raising expectations

Alongside geopolitical pressure, the regulatory environment is becoming more demanding.

Across Europe, initiatives covering critical raw materials, net-zero manufacturing, battery sustainability and passports, carbon border mechanisms and foreign subsidy controls are all moving in the same direction. They require greater transparency, stronger traceability and clearer accountability across the value chain.

This does not mean every organisation must localise production end to end. But it does mean companies need deeper visibility into their supply chains, earlier insight into potential disruption and a more deliberate approach to trade-offs between cost, compliance, sustainability and risk.

What may have once been acceptable as “good enough” is increasingly insufficient.

Complexity is increasing, not easing

At the same time, the technologies underpinning the energy transition are becoming more complex.
Electrification, power electronics, advanced materials and grid-connected systems rely on highly specialised components and processes. Many sit several tiers upstream, outside direct control, and cross multiple borders before reaching manufacturing lines or project sites.

Longer lead times, constrained capacity and competition for critical materials add further pressure. Managing supply chains in this environment is no longer just about sourcing. It requires forecasting, scenario planning, negotiation and rapid adaptation under uncertainty.

The margin for error is narrowing, particularly for companies scaling production or delivering against fixed project timelines.

Why talent matters more than ever

As a result, we are seeing a clear shift in how organisations view supply chain and procurement roles.
These functions are no longer treated as purely operational. They are being elevated into strategic positions with direct influence on growth planning, capital allocation and risk management.

Companies are increasingly looking for leaders who can:

• manage complex global supplier ecosystems

• interpret regulatory and geopolitical risk

• balance inventory resilience with capital discipline

• work closely with engineering, finance and commercial teams

• build supplier relationships that endure through periods of volatility

In other words, they are looking for judgement as much as process.

This is particularly critical for businesses moving from early growth into more industrialised phases, where structural mistakes in supply chain design can become costly and difficult to unwind.

Inventory is now a leadership decision

Inventory strategy illustrates this shift clearly.

Where stock levels were once something to minimise, they are now something to optimise with intent. Holding additional inventory can protect against disruption, but it ties up capital. Holding too little risks missed deliveries, stalled production and reputational damage.

Making the right decision depends on context. Market conditions, customer commitments, supplier stability and access to capital all matter. The correct answer is rarely static.

This is why organisations are placing greater value on experienced supply chain leaders who have managed through cycles, not just periods of expansion. Leaders who know when to be cautious, when to take calculated risk, and how to explain those decisions clearly to boards and investors.

A more mature phase of the transition

The energy transition has not slowed. But it has entered a more demanding phase.

Delivery matters more. Integration matters more. And supply chains sit at the centre of both.

For the companies that come together at CWIEME Berlin, those designing, manufacturing and scaling the technologies that underpin electrification, success is no longer defined by technical excellence alone. It depends on organisational capability and the ability to operate reliably in a more complex global environment.

Increasingly, that capability comes down to people.

The organisations that succeed in the next phase of the transition will be those that recognise supply chain and procurement talent not as a cost centre, but as a strategic asset, and invest accordingly.

About the author

David Hunt

David Hunt is the Founder and Managing Director of Hyperion Search, a specialist executive search firm working exclusively across clean energy, electrification, and climate-adjacent technologies. With more than 25 years’ experience in executive search, and over a decade focused on the energy transition, David works closely with founders, boards, and investors to build leadership teams capable of scaling complex, capital-intensive businesses. A former renewable energy entrepreneur himself, he brings a practitioner’s perspective to leadership, supply chain, and operational challenges across Europe and beyond.