Pricing and Margin
Where manufacturing SMEs lose commercial margin
Why margin erosion rarely appears in a single line of the P&L, and the six most common sources of preventable margin loss in manufacturing SMEs.
6 min read
Read Article Commercial insight for manufacturing leaders.
Practical analysis of the commercial issues affecting UK manufacturing SMEs, including sales performance, pricing, customers, CRM, recruitment, marketing and practical AI adoption.
To see how this thinking applies to specific situations, read our illustrative examples of our approach to specifications, distribution and engineering growth.
Sales Performance
Why more sales activity does not always produce profitable growth
The difference between volume and value in commercial development, and how to diagnose activity-rich but margin-poor sales operations.
5 min read
Read Article Commercial Strategy
How to establish a reliable commercial baseline
The evidence, data and analytical steps required to build a reliable starting point for structured commercial improvement in a manufacturing business.
8 min read
Read Article Sales Performance
How to assess the quality of a sales pipeline
The metrics, questions and warning signs that distinguish a reliable commercial forecast from a collection of optimistic entries.
7 min read
Read Article Customers and Markets
Customer concentration: the risk hidden inside strong revenue
How over-reliance on a small number of accounts creates structural commercial risk for manufacturing SMEs, and the indicators that matter most.
5 min read
Read Article CRM and Data
CRM installation is not the same as CRM adoption
Why most CRM implementations underdeliver in manufacturing businesses, and the commercial and behavioural changes needed to make them work.
6 min read
Read Article AI and Automation
Measuring AI against commercial outcomes
How to evaluate AI tools against revenue, margin and productive capacity rather than activity metrics or feature lists — and what good looks like.
4 min read
Read Article Pricing and Margin
Why pricing reviews fail
The structural reasons most pricing improvement projects do not produce lasting margin improvement, and what a disciplined pricing process requires.
5 min read
Read Article Commercial Performance
Sales Problem, Pricing Problem or Capacity Problem: How to Tell
How to tell whether weak commercial performance comes from sales, pricing or capacity, and what a manufacturing SME should examine before acting.
7 min read
Read Article AI and Automation
Before You Buy AI: Is It an AI Problem or a Process Problem?
How manufacturing SMEs can tell whether AI will solve a real commercial problem, or simply automate a weak process and add cost without improving performance.
7 min read
Read Article Commercial Performance
How Much Sales Capacity Is Hidden Inside Your Commercial Team?
How to identify hidden commercial capacity in sales and account-management teams before adding headcount, increasing activity or buying more software.
7 min read
Read Article Pricing and Margin
Supplier Costs Are Rising: How Much Should Manufacturers Pass On?
A practical framework for deciding how much of a supplier cost increase to pass on, absorb or recover elsewhere without damaging margin or customer value.
6 min read
Read Article Customers and Markets
Is Your Biggest Customer Actually Your Most Valuable Customer?
Assess manufacturing customer value through margin, cost-to-serve, risk and growth potential—not revenue alone.
6 min read
Read Article Sales Performance
When Should a Manufacturer Stop Chasing an Old Sales Quotation?
How manufacturers can use quotation age, customer intent, sales-cycle evidence and next actions to decide when an old RFQ is still live and when to close it.
7 min read
Read Article Manufacturing Outlook
North West Manufacturing Outlook 2026: Is Your Business Ready for Growth?
North West manufacturers are optimistic, but costs, skills and capacity remain challenges. Explore six commercial priorities for profitable growth.
9 min read
Read Article Manufacturing Growth & Investment
When Manufacturing Orders Grow, Cash Must Keep Pace
DT&G Engineering's growth highlights why UK manufacturers must align new orders, working capital, payment terms and production capacity.
6 min read
Read Article Pricing and Margin
When turnover holds growth back: customer profitability lessons for manufacturers
Is every customer helping your manufacturing business grow? Explore customer profitability, cost to serve and five questions for a stronger commercial review.
6 min read
Read Article Manufacturing Growth & Investment
Liverpool City Region approves £400,791 to continue Made Smarter support for manufacturers
Liverpool City Region approved £400,791 to continue Made Smarter. See who can apply for grants of up to £20,000 and how local manufacturers used the funding.
27 min read
Read Article Manufacturing Commercial Performance Briefing
Receive practical analysis, benchmark findings and commercial-performance insights for UK manufacturing leaders.
You can withdraw your consent at any time on the newsletter preferences page.