Manufacturing News – Early July 2026

UK manufacturing continued to expand in June, although the pace of overall growth slowed from May’s four-year high as the boost from customer stockpiling began to fade, according to the latest S&P Global UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data.

The headline PMI registered 52.5 in June, down from 53.9 in May and below the earlier flash estimate of 53.1. Despite the decline, the reading remained above the crucial 50.0 threshold for the eighth consecutive month, signalling continued expansion across the sector.

The UK continued to outperform the eurozone, where the headline manufacturing PMI edged down to 51.4 in June from 51.6 in May, marking a four-month low but remaining in expansion territory for a fifth consecutive month. While eurozone factory output accelerated to a two-month high and business confidence improved, export demand remained weak and manufacturers also warned that the benefits of precautionary stockpiling were beginning to fade. Inflationary pressures, however, eased across the bloc, with both input costs and factory gate prices rising at their slowest pace since March.

Sourced from The Manufacturer