The Nevi Netherlands Manufacturing PMI climbed to 55.9 in May 2026 from 54.4 in April, its highest level in nearly four years, indicating a further strengthening of factory activity. New orders expanded at the fastest rate in more than four years, as customers increased safety stocks and brought purchases forward in response to supply chain disruptions stemming from the conflict in the Middle East. Export demand also picked up, albeit more slowly than total orders.
Robust demand underpinned the sharpest rise in manufacturing output in just over four years, leading firms to step up purchasing activity at the quickest pace in four years and to add to their workforces. Supply chains, however, remained strained, with suppliers’ delivery times lengthening at the steepest rate since May 2022. Input cost inflation accelerated to its highest level in more than four years, while output prices increased at the fastest pace in over three and a half years. Business confidence improved as well, edging slightly above its long-run average.
