UK Manufacturing Payments: A Mixed Bag, With Some Shocking Laggards

The Numbers

• Companies analysed: 183
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 52.1/100
• UK average: 50.0/100 (Manufacturing is 2.1 points above)
• Top payer score: 92.07/100
• Bottom payer score: 5/100

What Stands Out

While the UK manufacturing sector slightly edges out the national average for payment practices, the colossal gulf between the best and worst payers is alarming. A PaymentCheck score of 5/100 suggests suppliers of companies like Crown Packaging face significant challenges in getting paid promptly.

Best Payers

1. SYSTEMS ENGINEERING & ASSESSMENT LTD - 92.07/100
2. BOXT LIMITED - 91.75/100
3. STANNAH LIFT SERVICES LIMITED - 91.05/100
4. MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES EMEA, LTD. - 90.4/100
5. AMENTUM ENTERPRISE ASSET SOLUTIONS LIMITED - 89.7/100

Worst Payers

1. CROWN PACKAGING DISTRIBUTION UK LIMITED - 5/100
2. TATA STEEL UK LIMITED - 7.5/100
3. CROWN PACKAGING MANUFACTURING UK LIMITED - 11.8/100
4. STOELZLE FLACONNAGE LIMITED - 18/100
5. GRAPHIC PACKAGING INTERNATIONAL LIMITED - 18.4/100

Regional Patterns

The North East emerges as the strongest region, averaging a PaymentCheck score of 62.6, significantly higher than the national manufacturing average of 52.1, albeit based on a small sample size of only five companies. In contrast, London, with a far larger sample size of 17 companies, only managed 55.5, suggesting businesses there may struggle with cashflow.

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Key Takeaway

Despite outperforming the UK average by 2.1 points, the manufacturing sector demonstrates vast inconsistencies, with the top payer (92.07/100) performing over 18 times better than the bottom payer (5/100), highlighting the critical need for suppliers to do their homework before extending credit.