At the start of Q2, the manufacturing sector in the UK remained sluggish. Manufacturers experienced a contraction in output and new orders due to the impact of customer uncertainty, destocking, and tight cost control. The market sentiment was negative, and domestic and export customers were reluctant to sign new contracts. On the supply chain front, there was some good news, as the delivery times of suppliers shortened every month over the past three months. This offers a positive improvement in resource availability and helps to alleviate pressure on raw material prices. The improvement in supply chain operations has helped manufacturers to reduce the backlog of orders accumulated in the previous months due to component shortages.