We are delighted to report that recent ONS data has revealed a 1.4% increase in the UK’s manufacturing output.
Headline areas
The Aerospace sector is largely responsible for the pleasing growth in the sector, with £8.6Bn of output delivered between January and March 2026.
Other areas that have contributed to growth in the manufacturing sector are food production, electronic products, textiles, chemicals and pharmaceuticals and alcohol and tobacco.
Disappointing statistics
The areas preventing stronger growth across the entirety of the sector are automotive manufacturing and petroleum production. Automotive manufacturing was down 3.3% when compared against the Q1 2025 figures while producers of coke and petroleum saw a 12.2% decline in output due primarily to the Iran war which has caused a significant spike in the cost and availability of crude oil.
Turbulence creates opportunity
Though turbulent times are course responsible for a great deal of uncertainty, they also allow innovation to thrive and this appears to be the case with UK manufacturing, as despite official figures suggesting that the workforce has shrunk by 50,000 individuals over the course of a year, the output per worker has increased by an impressive 3% due to efficiency gains which ultimately improve resilience.
Investing in technology and pivoting output towards bespoke manufacturing has seen businesses such as https://orseal.com/ successfully navigate these challenging times, producing custom-made industrial valves, guaranteeing quality standards, production timescales and costs.
By seeking out opportunities for growth and taking considered risks, the UK’s manufacturing sector looks well able to follow aerospace’s lead and capitalise upon these already impressive achievements.
