Circularity and automation lag: Only 19% have a formal circularity policy; 69% report at least some automation in operations.
- Data visibility gap: Nearly one in four organizations have no access to manufacturing or process-related data, and almost half lack clear understanding of team performance targets.
- Partnership advantage: Organizations collaborating with third-party partners score significantly higher on overall manufacturing wellness.
- Self-assessment available: The 28-question Manufacturing Wellness Assessment takes around 10 minutes and gives manufacturers their own score.
Sandvik Coromant has released its first-ever Manufacturing Wellness Report, and the headline number should give every plant manager pause: an overall manufacturing wellness score of 49 out of 100. The report benchmarks nearly 1,000 manufacturers against eight habits linked to resilience, productivity, and sustainable growth — and the gap between ambition and execution is the story.
Where the gaps show up
The data points are blunt. Nearly one in four organizations report having no access to manufacturing or process-related data. Almost half say they do not have a clear understanding of the performance targets set for their teams. You cannot improve what you cannot see, and a significant share of the industry is operating partially blind.
Circularity fares worse. Only 19% of organizations report having a formal circularity policy. Automation tells a more nuanced story: 69% of respondents report at least some automation in manufacturing operations, but "at least some" is doing heavy lifting in that sentence.
The partnership effect
One finding cuts against the go-it-alone instinct common in manufacturing: organizations that collaborate with third-party partners score significantly higher on overall manufacturing wellness. External expertise, it turns out, correlates with better habits across the board.
Our first global Manufacturing Wellness Report shows an industry with strong foundations, but also significant unrealized potential. Manufacturers are collecting data, investing in technology and identifying skills gaps. The challenge now is to connect these efforts into a structured approach that improves performance across the whole value chain.
— Helen Blomqvist, President of Sandvik Coromant
Not starting from zero
Blomqvist is careful to frame the 49 score as a foundation, not a failure.
The positive message from the report is that manufacturers are not starting from zero. Many already have the tools, technologies, and ambition they need to improve performance. The opportunity now is to make those assets work harder by connecting data across teams, reviewing technology more deliberately, developing people at every level and building stronger partnerships. Manufacturing wellness is about helping companies turn existing progress into long-term resilience.
Benchmark your own operation
Alongside the report, Sandvik Coromant's Manufacturing Wellness Assessment is available online. The tool consists of 28 questions and takes around 10 minutes to complete. It provides manufacturers with their own score to identify strengths and improvement areas — a practical first step for any shop wondering where it lands relative to that 49.
The takeaway for engineers and operations leaders: the constraint in 2026 is rarely access to technology. It is the connective tissue — data flow, clear targets, partnerships, and structure — that separates resilient operations from the rest.
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