Stability in aerospace supply chains continues to develop, with financial aid to supply chain businesses proving vital for sustained progress.
The Aerospace Supply Chain Resilience Report 2025 has highlighted several crucial measures to ensure long-term resilience in the aerospace industry. The report, which comes at a time when the global aerospace industry is showing signs of stabilisation, aims to address financial, technological, operational, and geopolitical challenges.
Limited access to capital is currently the biggest challenge for half of the surveyed companies, with many banks reducing the amount of capital they provide to smaller suppliers or even denying loans due to their low equity ratios and margins. To address this issue, the report suggests targeted financial resources for aerospace suppliers to adjust their capacity, including materials, personnel, and working capital. Sustained investment support is critical to enable this expansion and avoid supply bottlenecks.
Another key measure is the optimisation of supply chains against geopolitical risks. Companies are advised to diversify their supply chains and address geographic constraints to improve resilience against future disruptions such as tariffs, trade wars, and cyberattacks. The trend towards diversified supply chains helps identify vulnerabilities related to limited supplier bases and regional risks, strengthening overall supply chain resilience.
The report also emphasises the importance of advanced technology adoption. The careful adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, blockchain, robotic process automation, and enhanced data analytics is key to improving supply chain visibility, traceability, and operational efficiency.
Managing workforce strategy and upskilling employees to leverage new technologies and improve supply chain capabilities are also vital for maintaining and improving resilience. Efforts such as production leveling across the year help mitigate bottlenecks and improve the flexibility and predictability of supply chains.
Partnerships with OEMs or other suppliers can help suppliers strengthen their financial position. Special private debt funds and long-term offtake agreements, co-investments, and equity investments are proposed as financing options for Tier-2 and Tier-3+ suppliers by banks and OEMs respectively.
The study suggests more professional monitoring and control of risks through systematic analysis of critical areas in the supply chain. Early identification of geopolitical and other risks, and development of successful countermeasures are recommended for improving risk management.
The "AeroExcellence International Initiative" by BDLI, GIFAS, and ADS is a proposed initiative for systematic sharing of best practices along the supply chain. This initiative aims to foster collaboration between OEMs and suppliers for optimal alignment of production and procurement planning.
The report also highlights that nearly 70 percent of companies feel well or very well prepared for the upcoming production ramp-up. However, half of the suppliers need additional financial resources to adjust their capacities to the planned production ramp-up of manufacturers. State guarantees, loan guarantees, and investment subsidies are proposed as government support programs for Tier-2 and Tier-3+ suppliers.
Overcoming financial bottlenecks in the supply chain is crucial for the industry to continue recovering quickly. The report concludes that together, these measures build a multidimensional approach addressing financial, technological, operational, and geopolitical dimensions to sustain long-term aerospace supply chain resilience as the industry moves into a production ramp-up phase.
Roland Berger, a leading global strategy consultancy renowned for its expertise in transformation, cross-industry innovation, and performance improvement, conducted the study. In 2024, Roland Berger achieved revenues of around 1 billion euros.
Businesses in the aerospace industry are recommended to explore partnerships with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) or other suppliers to strengthen their financial position, as suggested financial options include special private debt funds, long-term offtake agreements, co-investments, and equity investments.
The "AeroExcellence International Initiative" by BDLI, GIFAS, and ADS is a proposed initiative for sharing best practices along the supply chain to foster collaboration between OEMs and suppliers for optimal alignment of production and procurement planning.
