UK manufacturing firms are urging the government to tackle the late payments crisis, as new research from independent funder Bibby Financial Services (“BFS”) reveals the dual pressures of unpaid invoices and high costs are hampering the sector. According to BFS’s latest SME Confidence Tracker, nearly six in ten (59%) manufacturers report that current measures to […]
One Water – a leading ethical water brand based in Richmond UK, has warned that the government’s new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations are placing a ‘disproportionate burden’ on compliant companies, after revealing the scheme will cost the firm around £140,000 in 2025 and has already contributed to a £400,000 loss in glass product sales. […]
The Barclays Regional Investment Map, which provides insights into UK company funding and growth, reveals an increase in new business registrations across the UK in Q3 2025. According to the analysis by Barclays Eagle Labs and Beauhurst the number of active UK companies has risen to 5.48 million – a 0.43% increase from the previous […]
The UK manufacturing sector endured another challenging period in the quarter to October, with output and orders falling sharply, sentiment deteriorating and investment plans cut back sharply, according to the latest quarterly CBI Industrial Trends Survey. Manufacturing output fell in the three months to October. The downturn was broad-based across sub-sectors, but driven by metal products, metal manufacture and electronic engineering. Firms expect output to fall again over the quarter to January. […]
Preformed Windings Limited, a leading manufacturer of high-voltage bars and diamond coils, has secured enhanced financial backing to strengthen its position in international markets through a £1.5m trade loan facility from HSBC UK, backed by a guarantee from UK Export Finance (UKEF) – the government’s export credit agency. The company has over 50 years’ experience […]
Hundreds of manufacturing businesses are to get expert support and funding to help them capitalise on a new wave of economic opportunities, driven in part by the flagship West Midlands Investment Zone. SMEs already based here can now apply to join the WM Investment Zone Supply Chain Transition programme on the Business Growth West Midlands website. The […]
One of the UK’s leading metal recycling companies, CF Booth has received a flexible £20m asset-based lending facility from Independent Growth Finance (IGF) to support its growth ambitions. Headquartered and founded in Rotherham in the 1920s, CF Booth has grown from a local metal trader into one of the largest independently run metal recycling companies […]
UK manufacturers are responding to shipping delays and rising demand for goods by tactically building stock levels as they approach the final quarter of the year. New figures show that small and mid-sized firms generated £365,565 in sales in Q2 2025, a 47% jump on the same period last year, and almost 2% on the previous […]
A Bristol manufacturing business with nearly 50 years of history has been given a new lease of life after a local entrepreneur acquired the firm – backed by funding from Allica Bank. Hocklynn Limited, a sheet metal fabricator founded in 1975, had been facing an uncertain future as its long-standing owner prepared to retire. The […]
WH Davis, the UK’s sole remaining independent railway wagon manufacturer – and part of Buckland Rail – has secured a €44m export deal to supply 150 freight wagons to Ireland with support from the UK’s export credit agency. The deal has been enabled with support from export credit agency UK Export Finance (UKEF) through its […]
