UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / September 22, 2026 / Supply chain disruption is now cited as a risk by more than a third of UK manufacturers, according to MHA's 2026 Manufacturing Report, up from 31% the previous year.

As disruption becomes more common outside the factory gates, the reliability of equipment inside the warehouse matters more than ever, as it's one of the few parts of the operation businesses can still fully control.

When materials or components are delayed, or delivery schedules shift at short notice, manufacturers often have to move faster once stock does arrive, making up for lost time elsewhere in the process. This puts extra pressure on handling equipment that might previously have coped comfortably with a steadier, more predictable flow of goods.

Phil Chesworth, Managing Director at Midland Pallet Trucks, said, "We hear a lot of the same from customers at the moment - things arriving later than planned, or in less predictable batches than they're used to. 

"What that means in practice is that when stock does turn up, there's often a scramble to get it moved, processed and out the door quickly. And that's exactly the wrong time to discover a piece of equipment – such as a pallet truck, stacker truck or lift table – isn't performing the way it should."

Businesses can't do much about disruption happening further up the supply chain, but they can make sure their own equipment isn't adding to the problem.

"We'd encourage manufacturers to think of equipment maintenance as part of their resilience planning, not a separate issue. If deliveries are less predictable than they used to be, the margin for error inside the warehouse gets smaller too, and that's where properly maintained kit earns its keep," Chesworth added.

"It's a straightforward thing to check, but it's often overlooked until something goes wrong at exactly the moment a business can least afford it."

For more information, visit https://www.midlandpallettrucks.com.