After a strong start to 2025 – up +52% in Q1 compared to the previous quarter and a further +62% increase in Q2 – growth of the Qimtek CMI slowed in the third quarter, rising only 10% versus Q2. The third quarter began robustly in July and August, but activity declined sharply in September. Unusually, both quoting activity and lead times fell during this period.
Qimtek operates a clearing house that connects contract manufacturers with their customers. Its CMI tracks the purchasing activity of companies seeking to outsource production work.
Projects within the CMI are grouped into machining, fabrication, and other categories. In Q3 2025, these accounted for 53%, 36% and 11% of projects respectively. The Q3 dataset was based on 313 projects across 216 companies.
The machining sub-index fell -2% compared to Q2 2025 but grew by +68% year-on-year, with total business worth £19.2 million. The fabrication sector performed more strongly, showing +18% quarter-on-quarter growth and a +140% increase compared to Q3 2024, with business totalling £25.8 million. The “other” category recorded the strongest growth overall, up +45% quarter-on-quarter and +200% year-on-year, representing £3.6 million in value.
By industry sector, outsourcing rankings shifted from Q2 2025. The “automotive” sector retained the largest share of projects (39%), followed by “heavy vehicles / construction equipment” (16%), and “industrial machinery” (14%, having fallen from its typical first-place position in Q2). “Truck & transportation (non-automotive)” accounted for 13%, while “consumer products” and “construction” represented 7% and 6% respectively.
You can get more details on this report from the Qimtek website at https://www.qimtek.co.uk/blog/qimtek-contract-manufacturing-index-quarter-3-2025