Close Menu
  • News
  • Home
  • In Profile
  • Finance
  • Legal
  • Technology
  • Events
  • Features
  • Wellbeing & Mental Health
  • Marketing
  • HR & Recruitment
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
Trending
  • Identity verification for company directors: An essential guide for business owners
  • SMEToday talks to Jon Williams, CEO and Founder of The Liberty Guild
  • Global Connectivity in 2026
  • Letter to the Chancellor for Autumn Statement: Prioritise UK SMEs
  • Water shortages risk stifling UK growth as restrictions hit businesses
  • AI adoption accelerates, but security remains an afterthought
  • Always Listening? Why the UK Needs Privacy-First Smartphones
  • How to Tell If You’re Overwhelmed or Just Busy
X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
SME Today
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
  • News
  • Home
  • In Profile
  • Finance
  • Legal
  • Technology
  • Events
  • Features
  • Wellbeing
  • Marketing
  • HR & Recruitment
SME Today
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
You are at:Home»Features»93% of manufacturing businesses expect “under pressure” supply chains until 2025
93% of manufacturing businesses expect “under pressure” supply chains until 2025

93% of manufacturing businesses expect “under pressure” supply chains until 2025

0
Posted By sme-admin on April 18, 2023 Features

The past three years have forced a re-think for many manufacturing businesses in the UK, as supply chain networks have faltered. Luke Smoothy, Founder and Director of manufacturing specialist Get It Made, looks at how SMEs can boost their resilience through harnessing technology and other key strategies.

  • Improve supply chain monitoring

A recent report by Make UK shows that 93% of manufacturing businesses agreed that supply chains will remain under pressure through 2024 at least. While businesses have evolved their supply chains by necessity, they can seize further opportunity through further improving strategies and harnessing technology. While 82% of supply chains will remain under pressure through 2024manufacturers stated that supply chain monitoring is critical to their business, around a quarter neither monitor up or down the supply chain, reflecting the need for improvement. Results also revealed that 62% of businesses haven’t changed their strategy to invest in supply chain technology, and although 47% have increased supply chain monitoring, this still falls significantly short.

  • Optimise workflow management

What further inflationary and supply chain challenges lie ahead? In truth no one knows the answer to that, but businesses’ best bet is to learn to adapt to this new ‘normal’. Whether this means stockpiling inventory to deal with supplier shortages or changing the production process to make the most of the materials they do have, businesses everywhere must continue to search for ways to optimise their processes.

Manufacturers must implement adaptations to reduce inefficiencies in workflows, crafting offers to win over customers who might be frustrated by delays, and identifying strategic ways to reposition their businesses. Global supply chain issues might be out of their control, but even small tweaks could help these businesses remain successful.

  • Embrace tech to track assets

Supply chain technology is fast emerging as a game-changer in helping transform an organisation’s supply chain resilience. However, compared to other industries, this mindset switch hasn’t yet been fully embraced by manufacturers. Only 46% use dashboards and analytics, 14% have supply chain control towers, and a mere 8% utilise AI and machine learning. Yet despite this, there seems to be a growing belief in the industry that data and cloud computing will positively impact productivity and efficiency. It’s time for them to put the wheel into motion now.

More manufacturers would benefit from using tech to track assets, by investing in automated asset management devices that allow them to track goods as they move through the supply chain. Internet-connected tracking systems streamline what could be a very labour-intensive, tedious manual task by collecting data wirelessly from antennas or tags attached to containers, boxes, or even specific items. Nike began using radio-frequency identification technology in 2020 to automatically identify and track all of its footwear, giving the company a more complete understanding of its inventory at all times.

Of course, this data isn’t helpful unless it’s used to make decisions. For instance, collecting data on how long it takes to ship a particular component along a certain route can help a manufacturer look for ways to optimise its workflows in the future, increasing efficiency.

  • Consider sourcing closer to home

Sourcing closer to home is driving a new trend. Since COVID, 40% of manufacturers said they had increased their UK suppliers, and 20% have increased suppliers in the EU, despite barriers. Strategically sourcing items from a combination of different countries and regions reduces the concern about a single large storm pushing out a shipment or geopolitical issues in one particular country.

  • Take the lateral approach

What happens if a business depends on a rare raw material—and no suppliers have a reliable source for it? Without a continuous supply, they must think creatively to devise an alternative solution. For example, they might design the product to make it compatible with another more accessible material.

Logistics will remain under pressure through 2024Alternatively, they need to think about shifting their business models. Take Toyota’s electric car business in Japan. Because Toyota does not yet have a consistent supply of electric car batteries, the company is only leasing its electric cars rather than selling them, allowing it to maintain control of a scarce resource.

To learn more about Get It Made and its solutions for manufacturing businesses, visit: https://get-it-made.co.uk/

 

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

Identity verification for company directors: An essential guide for business owners

Water shortages risk stifling UK growth as restrictions hit businesses

Always Listening? Why the UK Needs Privacy-First Smartphones

Comments are closed.

Follow SME Today on Linkedin and share all the topics you find interesting
ISO/IEC 27001 roadmap: A practical guide for UK SMEs
ISO/IEC 27001 roadmap: A practical guide for UK SMEs
Are you a Company Director?
Are you a Company Director - Verify your identity
Personal Pension offer
Events Calendar
    • Marketing
    October 14, 2025

    Do You Need To Look Through ‘The Business Lens’?

    October 10, 2025

    What Does Whatsapp’s Ad Rollout Signal For Social Media And Messaging?

    • Finance
    October 22, 2025

    Letter to the Chancellor for Autumn Statement: Prioritise UK SMEs

    October 14, 2025

    New energy service aims to lessen strain on SME budgets

    • People
    October 13, 2025

    Dr. Karim Bahou appointed Head of Innovation at Sister, Manchester’s £1.7bn innovation district

    September 30, 2025

    Allergen Free For The Win: Ceo Of Inclusive Food Brand Announced As Best Business Woman

    • Health & Safety
    September 18, 2025

    Lessons From Grenfell Are Still Being Learned

    September 2, 2025

    1 in 3 employees anxious about lack of first aiders at work

    • Events
    October 10, 2025

    Nominations Now Open for UK’s Top 100 Businesses – EB100 2026

    October 8, 2025

    The Solopreneur Awards 2025: The Audacity Era

    • Community
    September 18, 2025

    ClearCourse appoints new Chair of the Board, Simon Black

    September 18, 2025

    Raising Money Where It’s Needed: Westspring Pledges To Raise £50,000 For Charity

    • Food & Drink
    October 15, 2025

    Stockley’s Moves To New Purpose-Built Facility To Support Ambitious Expansionist Vision

    October 9, 2025

    Leading Allergy Campaigner Supports Call For New Food Allergens To Be Added To Uk’s ‘Top 14’ List

    • Books
    September 3, 2025

    New book on conquering fear of public speaking

    August 7, 2025

    Learning to Leave a Legacy in Business

    The Newsletter

    Join our mailing list for the best SME stories, handpicked and delivered direct to your inbox every two weeks!

    Sign Up
    About

    SME Today is published by the same team who deliver The Great British Expos’. We have been organising various corporate events for the last 10 years, with a strong track record of producing well managed and attended business events across the UK.

    Join Our Mailing List

    Receive the latest news and updates from SMEToday.
    Read our Latest Newsletter:


    Sign Up
    X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    Categories
    • Books
    • Community & Charity
    • Education and Training
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Features
    • Finance
    • Food and Drink
    • Health & Safety
    • HR & Recruitment
    • In Profile
    • Legal
    • Marketing
    • News
    • People
    • Property & Development
    • Sponsored Content
    • Technology
    • Transport & Tourism
    • Wellbeing & Mental Health
    • ABOUT SME TODAY: THE GO TO RESOURCE FOR UK BUSINESSES
    • Editorial Submission Guidelines
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    Copyright © 2025 SME Today.
    • ABOUT SME TODAY: THE GO TO RESOURCE FOR UK BUSINESSES
    • Editorial Submission Guidelines
    • Privacy
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.