Rubix Launches Uptime Index to Benchmark the Health of European Manufacturing

Rubix, a prominent European distributor of industrial products and services, has unveiled the Uptime Index, a new tool designed to assess and monitor the health of the European manufacturing sector. This initiative responds directly to customer demand for more visibility into the factors influencing factory uptime, resilience, and long-term productivity.

The Uptime Index serves as a diagnostic indicator—what Rubix describes as the manufacturing industry’s equivalent of a “health check.” David Cullern, Group Vice President of Key Accounts at Rubix, emphasized its importance: “Within any manufacturing business — the factory is the heart and uptime is its oxygen. The success of the European manufacturing industry is a priority we share with both customers and suppliers.”

As of June 2025, the Index recorded a score of 74 out of 100, indicating a generally high level of confidence among European manufacturers. Among the strongest-performing areas was a solid understanding of maintenance requirements, signaling that many businesses are well-prepared to manage downtime and operate efficiently. However, confidence in predictive maintenance was somewhat lower, despite its growing importance in avoiding costly unplanned outages.

Skills Shortage Remains a Challenge

Insights from 395 businesses in the UK and Ireland echoed the broader European trends, particularly in terms of strong maintenance awareness. Yet, a significant concern was the shortage of skilled labor, which poses a risk to future performance and resilience. This gap highlights the urgent need for industry-wide investment in workforce development.

Rather than being a cause for concern, Rubix views these findings as a call to action. Trusted partners like Rubix can play a key role in helping manufacturers bridge capability gaps, enhance systems integration, and build resilience. “True resilience comes from joined-up thinking across the value chain,” Cullern noted. “That’s where the right partnerships and technical expertise can make all the difference.”

To support the Index, Rubix will release a series of whitepapers offering deeper insights, based on further research and customer interviews. The first in the series, Moving in Sync: How Seamless Coordination Drives Uptime, explores how better alignment between central decisions and site-level execution can significantly improve operational performance.

The Uptime Index marks the start of an ongoing effort to track manufacturing performance across Europe, offering data-driven insights to foster long-term growth and competitiveness in the sector.