Findings reveal how leading machine builders strengthen recovery, consistency and customer outcomes

UK OEMs are placing clear emphasis on technologies that enhance quality, visibility and control. Quality Management Systems (QMS) top the list of priorities, with 60% of UK respondents identifying QMS as critical to improving key performance indicators (KPIs)—the highest proportion across Europe. By comparison, QMS ranked highest among European respondents overall, but at a lower average of 43%. This is according to Rockwell Automation‘s new 10-page OEM playbook.

In parallel, 55% of UK manufacturers also view smart technology, production monitoring and quality vision inspection as essential tools for improving KPIs – well above global and European averages, indicating a strong national tilt towards data-driven operational improvement.

These priorities reflect a growing recognition that performance is now constrained by data, quality and coordination rather than mechanical throughput.

  • Smart technology: 55% UK respondents cite it as critical, much higher than the global average of 35%, and the European average of 34%.
  • Production monitoring: 55% of UK respondents cite is as critical, compared to the global average of 40% and the European average of 36%.
  • Quality vision inspection: 55% of UK respondents cite is as critical, compared to the global average of 36% and the European average of 41%.

Beyond these, smart manufacturing platforms, AI and machine learning, and digital design, digital twin, emulation, and simulation technologies are also widely seen as important, reinforcing the UK’s focus on data-driven decision-making and operational insight rather than isolated automation.

UK downtime is less frequent but far more disruptive

Unplanned downtime remains a persistent operational challenge for UK manufacturers, even if it occurs less often than in other regions. Only 3% of UK respondents report no unexpected downtime, while incidents are most commonly experienced quarterly (28%) or a few times a year (25%), making high frequency downtime relatively uncommon.

However, when downtime does occur, its impact is amplified by long resolution times. Many UK manufacturers report that a typical downtime incident can take up to a week or even one to two weeks to resolve, pushing average downtime duration well above the wider sample. This helps explain why, despite 25% of UK organisations tracking downtime as a core operational KPI, fewer consider themselves industry leaders in reducing it (13%, compared with 18% globally and 15% in Europe), and the same proportion prioritise reducing downtime over the next 12 months.

While downtime is less frequent in the UK, prolonged resolution times create significant operational drag, turning isolated incidents into extended productivity losses.

  • 23% of UK manufacturers report that a typical downtime incident can take up to a week to resolve, significantly higher than the global average of 5% and the European average of 9%.
  • A further 35% of UK manufacturers say downtime can take one to two weeks to resolve, compared with just 5% globally and 14% across Europe, highlighting the extended operational impact of downtime in the UK.
  • When asked to identify the primary causes of production downtime, UK manufacturers most frequently cited supply chain delays (30%), followed closely by equipment failure, unplanned maintenance, skills shortages, safety incidents and quality control issues (28%). Together, these responses point to operational complexity rather than isolated mechanical faults as the core challenge.

UK manufacturers redesign supply chains in response to changing trade conditions

Evolving global trade dynamics are influencing how manufacturers set priorities. In 2025, 85% of UK manufacturers report that recent trade measures have had some level of impact on manufacturing operations, compared with a global average of 61%.

The UK response is largely strategic and forward-looking rather than short-term. Instead of relying primarily on supplier switching, UK OEMs are more likely to redesign products and bills of materials to enable onshore or nearshore manufacturing (63%). Cost cutting remains a high priority response (55%), but engineering-led redesign is the defining feature of the UK approach.

UK OEMs are addressing external cost and supply challenges through engineering, design and production system decisions rather than relying on commercial levers such as pricing or supplier changes.

  • While 55% of UK manufacturers are emphasising cutting costs to absorb pressures, fewer are relying solely on supplier switching (38%) or price increases (40%), underscoring an engineering‑led response that prioritises resilience and control over tactical adjustments.
  • While 85% of UK manufacturers report disruption, only 3% say they have not been impacted, highlighting the widespread relevance of these changes across the sector.
  • 45% of UK respondents say their leadership is responding swiftly to the evolving trade and economic landscape with a plan to execute. However, 50% believe that although leadership is moving quickly, it may not be fully prepared for further changes ahead.

Cyber risk remains a constant operational reality

UK OEM leaders broadly expect cyber risk to remain steady over the next 12 months rather than diminish. Compared with global peers, fewer UK respondents believe the threat will ease, reflecting a more mature and pragmatic view of cybersecurity as a persistent operational condition rather than a short-term spike.

This outlook suggests that cyber risk is now embedded into day‑to‑day operational planning. For UK manufacturers, the challenge is not anticipating disruption, but maintaining resilience in an environment where cyber threats are assumed to be ongoing.

  • As geopolitical tensions continue, 63% of UK respondents expect to be targeted by cyber-attacks to the same extent over the next 12 months, while 23% believe they will be targeted more and 13% believe less.
  • The proportion expecting increased targeting (23%) is notably higher than both the global average (16%) and the European average (19%), underscoring heightened awareness of cyber exposure among UK manufacturers.

Quality and IT fragility now constrain UK production efficiency

For UK OEMs, the primary obstacles to production efficiency have shifted away from mechanical failure toward quality control challenges and fragile software and IT systems. Survey findings indicate that productivity constraints are increasingly rooted in data integrity, digital reliability, and process control rather than the physical performance of machinery.

This marks a clear evolution in the nature of operational risk. As manufacturing environments become more digital and interconnected, efficiency is determined less by asset uptime alone and more by the robustness of quality systems, software infrastructure, and real‑time visibility. For UK manufacturers, the challenge is no longer keeping machines running, but ensuring digital systems and quality processes can keep pace with operational demands.

  • 35% of UK respondents cite quality control issues and software or IT failures as the biggest obstacles to production efficiency, making them the leading constraints in the UK. This is much higher than the global average of 25%.
  • By comparison, the Europe average shows that 24% cite quality control issues, while 29% cite software or IT failures.
  • Machine reliability or failure is a significantly lower concern in the UK (18%), compared with the global average (27%) and Europe (24%), reinforcing the shift away from mechanical bottlenecks toward digital and quality‑driven challenges. 

Workforce constraints outweigh macro uncertainty

For UK OEMs, workforce-related challenges present a more immediate barrier to progress than broader economic uncertainty. Employee turnover and skills shortages are the dominant factors limiting the achievement of strategic objectives, while concern about the wider economic environment is notably lower than the global average, cited by 25% of UK respondents compared with 40% globally.

This points to a widening technology readiness gap. For UK manufacturers, the core issue is not strategic intent but having the capacity and skills in place to deliver. As a result, performance is constrained not by ambition but by execution.

  • UK respondents ranked the most significant challenges to achieving strategic goals as: employee turnover (45%), lack of employee skillsets (38%), lack of appropriate technology (33%), and changing compliance requirements (33%).
  • Quality Management Systems (QMS) lead technology priorities, with 60% of UK respondents identifying QMS as critical to improving KPIs—the highest level across Europe. By comparison, QMS also ranked highest among European respondents overall, but at a lower average of 43%.

To learn more, the full findings of the OEM Advantage Playbook can be found here.