Report Highlights - Q1 2025
Record sales performance
SMB manufacturers overperformed as falling interest rates – and unexpected tariff-related windfalls – helped deliver the best Q1 for sales since at least 2018.
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United Kingdom
The average UK SMB manufacturer made £358k of Q1 sales, up 12% YoY.
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Australia
Q1’s sales revenue is the second highest quarter on record for Australian SMBs since 2018.
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New Zealand
NZ manufacturers banked a full 25% more revenue in Q1 than they did the same time last year.
Running leaner than ever
Short lead times, strong sales, and reduced replenishment created the perfect storm of efficiency for global SMB manufacturers, who trimmed their excess stock levels to record lows.
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United Kingdom
Low lead times and deferred replenishment spend trimmed excess stock levels to just £21k on average.
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Australia
Profit margins lifted as strong sales depleted excess stock levels in Australia by more than half vs Q4.
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New Zealand
With just $22k of excess stock, NZ’s warehouses ran lean and efficient in Q1, in line with the global trend.
Get the full Manufacturing Health Index report
About the report
The Manufacturing Health Index is a quarterly report that assesses SME manufacturer performance using a big data approach. Q4 2024 results were based on the performance of a cohort of 1,425 manufacturers in the UK, Australia and New Zealand that use Unleashed software to manage their operations. Findings were calculated using Unleashed’s secure records of every purchase, sale and stock movement made between Q1 2018 and the present date for each business.
About Unleashed
Unleashed is the world’s favourite inventory management software – a cloud based platform that makes every day easier for thousands of small to medium firms. With complete control of all purchasing, production, warehousing and sales workflows, Unleashed helps you save time, free-up cash flow, and dramatically boost productivity.
Ready to see Unleashed in action? Watch a free 15-minute demo here – or learn more about manufacturing inventory management with Unleashed below.