![\"Manufacturing](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/005-Uk-car-production.jpg\")
\t\tManufacturing costs soared in April. \t<\/p>\n\t\t\tFriday 01 May 2026 10:26 am\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\tManufacturing costs soared in April. \t<\/p>\n
The UK manufacturing sector broke to a four-year record in April but the constraints triggered by the Iran war<\/a> threatened to upend growth prospects.<\/p>\n The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global put the industry\u2019s reading at 53.7 \u2013 its best since May 2022. This marked its sixth consecutive month above the neutral 50.0 mark, which indicates if a sector is growing.<\/p>\n In another major boost to manufacturers, staffing levels increased for the first time in 18 months.<\/p>\n Production was boosted by the scaling up of output volumes from new order intakes and efforts to clear backlogs of work. Meanwhile, output growth increased across the consumer, intermediate and investment goods categories.<\/p>\n Despite April\u2019s boon, Rob Dobson, director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, warned it came with \u201cseveral\u201d catches.<\/p>\n \t\tStrait of Hormuz threatens to upend manufacturing<\/p>\n \u201cRestrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz are causing substantial disruptions to input deliveries, with supplier lead times lengthening to the greatest extent in almost four years,\u201d Dobson said. <\/p>\n The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and Arabian see, has been the key driver of inflationary pressures caused by the war in Iran.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/p>\n \t\t\tManufacturing exports highest in four years despite jobs decline<\/a><\/p>\n The strait is a vital shipping lane for not just oil, but also helium and fertiliser<\/a>, meaning the ongoing conflict threatens to clog up supply chains.<\/p>\n \u201cThe resulting material shortages are exerting steep pressure on purchasing costs,\u201d Dobson added.<\/p>\n