What’s inside the Q3 2025 report:
- Regional performance deep‑dives for the UK, Australia, and New Zealand
- Gross Margin Percentage (GMP) insights — our new profitability metric
- Forward‑looking outlook for Q4–Q1, including interest rates, inflation, and demand signals
- Practical tips on how to protect margins and manage inventory in volatile conditions
Report Highlights - Q3 2025
Supply Chains Stabilise
Q2s slower supplier lead times have normalised as global logistics improve.
United Kingdom
Supplier lead times fell from 27 days to 19 for the average SMB manufacturer.
Australia
Australian SMB manufacturers saw supplier lead days drop from 25 to 16.
New Zealand
Lead times also fell for the average NZ SMB manufacturer, from 23 to 16 days.
Inventory efficiency drive
Manufacturers in all three regions took advantage of shorter shipping times, freeing up cashflow by cutting replenishment and selling down stock on hand.
£
United Kingdom
The average UK SMB manufacturer reduced stock on hand to £201k from £276k.
$
Australia
Australian SMB manufacturers reduced stock on hand to A$311k from A$462k.
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New Zealand
New Zealand SMB manufacturers also cut stock on hand, down to NZ$159k from NZ$264k.
Get the full Manufacturing Health Index report
If you’re a manufacturer navigating cost pressures, changeable lead times and shifting demand, this report gives you data‑driven insights and actionable strategies to stay competitive. Download now and see how your business compares — then learn how Unleashed helps you protect margins, optimise stock, and forecast with confidence.
About the report
The Manufacturing Health Index is a quarterly report that assesses SME manufacturer performance using a big data approach. Q3 2025 results were based on the performance of a cohort of 1,578 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.