The latest figures from the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICEAW) Business Confidence Index confirm what most of us already know. General business confidence is pretty low. The Index fell to -4.2 in the second quarter of 2025 compared to -3 in the first, largely because of ongoing concern about the tax burden, global uncertainty and persistently low consumer demand.
However, if you dig a little bit deeper into those figures, there are some positives to be found for this industry. Annual domestic sales growth did fall to 3% in Q2 from 3.4 in Q1, but it is only marginally below the historical norm of 3.1%.
And business sentiment in the construction sector might have dropped marginally to +4.7 in Q2, but that is still substantially above the historical norm of +3.8. In comparison with other sectors, construction is second only to IT and communications in terms of confidence – boosted, of course, by the government’s commitments on housing and new infrastructure projects, which are expected to drive up demand and sales over the next twelve months.
In the light of that, we’re seeing a steady flow of new machine enquiries into Emmegi (UK) from businesses who want to ensure they are in the best possible shape to take advantage of that demand – either because they need to replace ageing machines or just want to increase their capacity. Understandably, many are thinking long and hard before investing in cap ex and, alongside those enquiries, we’re seeing renewed interest in our financing offer as a way of preserving cash.
We work with a finance partner who is massively experienced in machine financing and who, in turn, has access to a wide range of funders who see the value and security of the asset. He says that the predicted growth in construction is actually making it easier to obtain finance at the moment and there is plenty of flexibility in terms of structuring deals.
As always, the key for any fabricator is payback and if there is any uncertainty in the short term, then our partner can offer flexible deposit amounts, VAT deferrals and front loaded payments and provide weekly, daily and even hourly cost analyses to show how payback could be generated.
And of course, we have the ongoing incentive of the 100% capital allowance which allows the full cost to be set against taxable profits – and funding facilities available even on machines costing as little as £10K.
There is no discernible trend in terms of the types of machines being financed. It is all about value and payback and identifying where investment will deliver the biggest benefits.
The key strength of Emmegi (UK) is the depth and breadth of our range. We have a vast choice of saws, machining centres, routers and ancillaries under the Emmegi brand, and as part of the Voilap group, we also have access to machines from other group companies including Tekna and Keraglass. Our team can help fabricators choose the exact model to suit their requirements and their budget – and support with finding finance if needed.
-Ian Latimer, MD, Emmegi (UK)
