Manufacturing sector expands for sixth straight quarter

Collections climbed 15.8% year on year whilst payments rose 15.9% in Q3.

The manufacturing sector extended its upward trajectory in the third quarter (Q3) with a reading of 52.4, OCBC’s SME Index report showed.

The sector registered its sixth consecutive quarter of expansion, with readings of 52.1 in Q2, 51.6 in Q1, 51.0 in Q4 2025, 50.9 in Q3 2025, and 50.6 in Q2 2025.

The growth was accompanied by a 15.8% increase in collections and 15.9% increase in payments on a year-on-year basis, driven by strong performance within the precision engineering (52.9) and electronics and semiconductor (52.5) segments.

Small and medium enterprises are likely benefiting from the global technology upcycle, supported by sustained AI-related demand for semiconductors and other electronics products, the report showed.

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