Rare earths, strategic metals: industry no longer has the luxury of waiting.

Rare earths, strategic metals: industry no longer has the luxury of waiting.

Pressure on critical materials is intensifying: geopolitical risks, tight supply, dependence on China, unstable prices, export restriction threats, the rise of Asian players…

Yet many manufacturers have not yet launched the transformation needed to secure their supplies.

Aerospace, defense, automotive, energy, electronics: the warning signals keep multiplying.

For European industry, this is no longer a monitoring topic. It is an execution topic.

Our observation: everyone knows action is needed. Few organizations know where to start, and in what order.

Here is how to structure resilience, concretely:

1. Map the risks

dependencies material by material

criticality by sector and by use

tier 1 to tier 7 exposure and breaking points

scenarios by region (China, Africa, Americas, Southeast Asia)

Without transparency, no prioritization.

1. Secure the flows (dual sourcing & upstream)

credible alternative suppliers (capacity, quality, lead times)

allocation plans in case of tension

long-term contracts and useful clauses

'mines to refining to processing' audits

JVs / volume reservations / equity stakes where needed

An alternative must be activatable, not merely 'identified'.

1. Install resilience governance

simple, shared indicators

risk reviews with trade-off decisions

procurement - industrial - finance coordination

buffers, strategic stocks, replenishment rules

Discipline makes the difference. Every week.

The role of INUO Performance: move from awareness to organized action

flash diagnostic of material dependencies

risk prioritization

100-day roadmap

steering routines

support on dual sourcing & upstream negotiations

supply chain adjustments to absorb shocks

The time for hoping for a 'return to normal' is over. Tensions on strategic metals will intensify by 2030.

Read the Les Echos article: https://lnkd.in/ex49Cw6d