For decades, automotive manufacturers’ procurement decisions were based primarily on three criteria: price, quality and delivery reliability. Today, that is no longer enough. The origin of raw materials, high-quality recyclates, CO₂ footprints and supply security increasingly factor into decisions. Procurement therefore no longer decides only who supplies – but increasingly which materials will still be available in the future.

Materials Expertise Becomes a Competitive Advantage

This is transforming the entire value chain. Recyclates are evolving from a by-product into a strategic raw material. The real innovation boost lies not in recycling itself, but in the quality of the recovered materials. They must meet the same requirements as primary raw materials – in terms of safety, durability and performance – while also being economically competitive.

The most valuable raw materials of the future are therefore no longer found only underground, but already in the products we develop and produce today.

For suppliers, this creates a new field of business. Alongside software, development and systems expertise, materials expertise is becoming another decisive competitive factor. Companies that can qualify high-quality recyclates, close material loops or develop new materials give their customers a strategic advantage.

The Battery Makes the Transformation Visible

Hardly any component embodies this development as clearly as the traction battery. It combines valuable raw materials, the highest quality requirements and complex supply chains in a single system. At the same time, it shows how value creation will work in future: after use in the vehicle, batteries are increasingly reused, their raw materials are recovered at high levels of purity and returned to cell production. The circular economy begins at the battery development stage and accompanies its entire life cycle.

Wolfsburg Connects the Entire Ecosystem

Few regions in Europe connect research, development, battery cell manufacturing and the circular economy as closely as the Wolfsburg and Salzgitter area. With Volkswagen, PowerCo, the Open Hybrid LabFactory, universities, research institutions and numerous suppliers, a unique innovation ecosystem has emerged here.

Many of these companies and research institutions also shape the International Suppliers Fair (IZB). Others are located only a few kilometres away. Anyone coming to IZB in Wolfsburg therefore experiences not only a leading trade fair for the supplier industry, but also gains access to a network that is already shaping the value creation of tomorrow.

Road to IZB 2026

With its editorial series “Road to IZB 2026” on OEM&Lieferant, Wolfsburg AG, the organiser of IZB, tracks the key developments in the international automotive and supplier industry in the run-up to the next International Suppliers Fair in Wolfsburg.

At IZB from 27 to 29 October 2026, these topics will not only be discussed but taken forward in collaboration with leading players from across the international automotive industry. Once again, Wolfsburg will become a meeting point for manufacturers, suppliers, technology companies, start-ups and research institutions – and a place where new ideas, partnerships and solutions for tomorrow’s mobility take shape.

The focus is on future technologies, market trends, and the people, companies and innovations shaping the industry’s transformation.

For more information about IZB 2026 and opportunities to participate, visit: www.izb-online.com