29/05/2026
UK manufacturing Outlook: May Summary and What to Watch in June
May has shown a mixed but important picture for UK manufacturing.
On one hand, manufacturing activity has remained resilient, with production continuing to expand and some firms seeing demand supported by customers bringing forward orders, stock building, and project-led activity. Official data also showed manufacturing output strengthening in March, helping support Q1 production figures.
However, the outlook is far from straightforward. Order books remain under pressure, export demand is uneven, and manufacturers are still dealing with rising input costs, transport pressures, raw material inflation and longer supplier lead times. The CBI’s latest survey also highlighted that total order books were at their weakest level since September 2020.
As we move into June, the key themes for UK manufacturers will be familiar ones: managing lead times, protecting margins, staying close to customers, and keeping supply chains as flexible as possible.
For precision engineering and CNC machining businesses like Tarvin Precision, this reinforces the importance of good planning, clear communication, reliable production capacity and strong supplier relationships.
There are reasons to be positive, but June is likely to reward manufacturers who stay disciplined, responsive and focused on quality.
