STOKE: MANUFACTURING POWERHOUSE
Stoke-on-Trent’ s 164 Mbps broadband speed was also higher than the figures recorded in the other cities appearing in the top 10.
Swindon came closest at 157 Mbps, followed by Hull at 127 Mbps and Northampton at 120 Mbps.
The report also identified locations facing greater challenges. Newcastle-upon-Tyne ranked lowest with an index score of 14.16 out of 100, which Unleashed partly attributed to limited warehousing space and slower broadband.
Norwich placed one position higher with a score of 14.23 and had the slowest broadband speeds among all the areas assessed. Middlesbrough was third from bottom, recording an index score of 15.13.
The regional manufacturing picture
Alongside the emerging cities index, Unleashed analysed operational data from 1,322 small and medium-sized manufacturers using its software.
SMEs account for 99 % of UK manufacturing businesses, according to the report.
The regional analysis examined five measures: sales revenue, profit margin, supplier lead times, stock on hand and purchasing costs. These were combined to give every UK region an index score out of 100.
Nationally, the SME manufacturers included in the analysis generated average sales revenue of £ 484,625.78 during the first quarter of 2026, rounded to £ 484,626 in the report’ s headline figures.
The national average gross profit margin was 33 %, meaning businesses retained an average of 33p from every £ 1 of revenue.
The average supplier lead time was 25.73 days, while the average value of stock held was £ 158,496.48. Average purchasing costs stood at £ 534,327.84.
However, the report found significant differences in performance between regions. Profit margins ranged from 25p to 38p for every pound of revenue generated.
The South East topped the regional index with a score of 70.31.
Businesses in the region generated average revenue of £ 488,030.40 and recorded the highest profit margin in the UK at 38 %.
Average stock on hand in the South East was £ 143,122.19, below the national average. The report said this pointed to tighter inventory control as an important contributor to the health of manufacturers’ margins.
Scotland placed second with an index score of 66.87. Its manufacturers recorded a profit margin of just under 35 %, average supplier lead times of 22.49 days and average stock on hand of £ 119,553.49.
Unleashed said Scotland’ s performance demonstrated that revenue volume was not the only route to strong results.
West Midlands places third
The West Midlands placed third in the regional table, achieving an index score of 63.70.
The report described the region as being home to traditional heavy industries including foundry work, metal stamping, automotive components and specialist tooling engineering.
Average revenue among the West Midlands manufacturers included in the study was £ 410,997.59, one of the lower figures recorded nationally.
However, the region performed strongly on profitability, with businesses retaining 36p from every £ 1 of revenue. This was the third-highest profit margin in the UK and compared with the national average of 33p.
West Midlands manufacturers held stock worth an average of £ 201,828.90, which was above the UK average.
They also recorded average purchasing costs of £ 430,141.58 and supplier lead times of 19.52 days.
Those lead times were the fastest of any region included in the report and compared with the national average of 25.73 days.
Unleashed said the short lead times were“ helping maintain a fast operational flow”.
The figures place the West Midlands ahead of the East Midlands, Wales, the South West, Yorkshire and the Humber, London, the East of England, the North West, the North East and Northern Ireland in the overall regional index.
They also show that the region’ s comparatively modest average revenue was accompanied by a profit margin above the national average and the fastest supplier lead times recorded in the study.
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