Cyber resilience has become a core commercial issue for UK manufacturers, as increasingly connected factories and supply chains leave businesses exposed to disruption, according to a new report from Make UK.

Published this week, the Cyber Security in Manufacturing Report found that while 70% of manufacturers did not experience a cyber incident that affected operations, nearly 30% experienced a serious incident either directly or through their supply chain.

The association's report suggests that 46% of manufacturers experienced increased operational costs and production downtime. Supply chain incidents caused delays for 31% of affected manufacturers, while 31% reported reduced capacity and 23% faced shortages of components or materials.

Preparedness is improving but remains uneven, according to the report's authors. While many businesses have basic protections in place, gaps remain in patching, incident response planning, senior ownership and recovery testing.

Commenting on the findings, Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make UK, said: "This report highlights the scale of the challenge facing manufacturers today, but it also shows that businesses are not powerless. Cyber risk cannot be eliminated altogether. What matters is understanding where the vulnerabilities lie, taking sensible steps to reduce them, and ensuring that when incidents do happen, they do not become business-threatening events.

"Manufacturers have always been good at managing risk. Cyber resilience should now be viewed in the same way: as a core part of running a successful, competitive and productive business."

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