European manufacturing survey report 2026

The relationship gap

How European manufacturers are managing their most important customers, and why the growth they're counting on depends on getting it right. Download the report.

Respondents
161 decision-makers surveyed
Markets
Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark
Key finding
Only 14% of manufacturing companies run a structured, proactive approach to customer relationships

Manufacturers already know
where growth is coming from

However, most can't tell you which of those customers are at risk right now.

76%
expect growth mostly, or partly, from existing customers
14.9%
actually run a structured, proactive approach to it
42.8%
spend 4+ hours a week just searching for customer info
31%
only hear a customer is unhappy once it's already serious
Fieldwork across
GermanySwedenNetherlandsDenmark
THE CORE TENSION

Priority and practice don't match

Half of manufacturers call relationship management a top priority. Only 14.9% actually run it that way. The rest are relying on memory, habit, and whoever happens to answer the phone.

WHAT ACTUALLY SEPARATES COMPANIES

Strong relationships aren't the same as a strong system

Some manufacturers feel confident about their top accounts. Others don't. The report breaks down what actually changes when structure replaces habit, and what doesn't.

NO SINGLE PLAYBOOK

Every market has a different pressure point

CRM urgency swings from near-universal in one market to a minority in another. The report maps exactly where that pressure sits, market by market.

What's inside

How European manufacturers
are leaving growth
on the table

The gap between what manufacturers prioritise and what they actually do.

Where growth is coming from, and whether your team is set up to capture it

Why 46% of manufacturers aren't confident in their own view of their top accounts

How ERP, CRM, spreadsheets, email and other disconnected systems work against each other

How manufacturers find out a customer is unhappy, and why 31% only hear it once it's serious

See what 161 manufacturers told us

Most manufacturers already know the problem. This report shows exactly how common it is. Free to read, no form required.