UK manufacturing is growing. Now is the time to build on it

UK manufacturing entered the autumn with another month of growth, adding weight to the case for renewed investment in Britain’s industrial base. The latest S&P Global manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 51.9 in September, from 51.7 in August, marking an eleventh consecutive month of expansion. A reading above 50 indicates growth.

For manufacturers operating across the UK supply chain, the figures provide a useful measure of an industrial economy that continues to move forward through a period of changing energy costs, international trade patterns and increased demand for supply-chain resilience.

At Midland Deburr, Managing Director Chris Arrowsmith believes the response should be to build on that momentum.

“Eleven months of manufacturing growth tells us something important,” said Arrowsmith. “There is work out there, there are companies investing and there is still a tremendous amount of engineering capability in Britain. The opportunity now is to turn that momentum into sustained industrial growth.”


Manufacturing growth is often measured through the output of major factories, yet every finished aircraft component, vehicle assembly, machine, defence system or engineered product depends upon a much broader network of specialist suppliers. That includes the finishing processes that prepare components for assembly, coating, inspection or onward manufacture.

From its West Midlands facility, Midland Deburr provides vibratory deburring, component cleaning, solvent degreasing and vapour degreasing services for manufacturers producing pressings, castings and machined components. These processes sit towards the end of a manufacturing sequence, making activity at specialist subcontractors a useful reflection of what is happening further upstream.

“When customers become busier, that work travels through the supply chain,” Arrowsmith explained. “Machining creates components that need finishing. Pressings and castings need deburring and cleaning. Increased production ultimately means increased demand across dozens of specialist processes.

“That is why we should look at manufacturing as an ecosystem. The strength of UK industry comes from having those capabilities available here, close to the companies that need them.”


September's survey recorded continued growth in new orders and exports, alongside longer supplier delivery times and higher input costs. For Arrowsmith, that combination reinforces the importance of productive capacity throughout the domestic supply chain.

A manufacturer increasing output needs confidence that its suppliers can respond. That requirement extends from material producers and machine shops through to heat treatment, coating, vibratory deburring, solvent degreasing and vapour degreasing.

Investment at each stage can therefore support productivity across the wider manufacturing economy.

“If Britain wants higher manufacturing output, we have to think about capacity all the way through the supply chain,” said Arrowsmith. “It is machinery, skills, energy, premises, logistics and the specialist subcontract processes that keep components moving.

“When those businesses invest, their customers benefit as well. Lead times, quality, responsiveness and the ability to increase production are all influenced by the depth of the supply chain around them.”

The opportunity extends well beyond individual companies because a stronger domestic manufacturing base creates demand for engineering skills, apprenticeships, machinery, maintenance, logistics and professional services. It also retains specialist knowledge accumulated over decades of making products in Britain.

That capability becomes particularly valuable as aerospace, defence, automotive, energy and advanced engineering businesses consider how resilient their supply chains need to be. Midland Deburr sees its own role within that network as straightforward: helping customers move components efficiently through essential finishing and cleaning operations.

Vibratory deburring can remove burrs and improve component edges and surfaces across production batches. Solvent degreasing and vapour degreasing provide controlled cleaning options for components where oils, machining residues and other contaminants need to be removed before the next production stage.

For manufacturers of pressings, castings and precision-machined components, access to established subcontract finishing capability can support both day-to-day production and future increases in volume.

Almost half of the manufacturers surveyed by S&P Global expect output to rise during the coming year. Arrowsmith believes that confidence deserves to be matched by ambition from industry, government and customers buying manufactured products.

“We have spent a lot of time in Britain talking about the potential of manufacturing. I would like to see us concentrate on making that potential happen,” he said.

“Back the companies that are investing. Encourage young people into engineering. Give manufacturers the confidence to buy machinery, train people and expand capacity. Where we have the capability to manufacture and process components in Britain, give British industry the opportunity to compete for that work.

“Manufacturing creates skilled employment and supports an enormous network of businesses. Every order placed into that network helps sustain the knowledge and capability we will need for the next generation of industry.”

September’s PMI provides another positive marker. Eleven months of expansion has established a run of growth for UK manufacturing. The task now is to turn that run into something more substantial. For businesses such as Midland Deburr, that means continuing to invest in the practical industrial capabilities that customers rely upon every day: processing parts, maintaining quality and helping manufacturers get finished components through the factory and on to their customers.

As Arrowsmith puts it:

“Britain knows how to manufacture. We have the people, the engineering heritage and an extraordinary base of specialist companies. This is the time to use it, invest in it and give it every opportunity to grow.”

Midland Deburr supports manufacturers with specialist component finishing and cleaning services, including vibratory deburring, solvent degreasing and vapour degreasing. The company works with manufacturers of machined components, pressings and castings across UK industry.