Industrial Asset Velocity
Returnable racks do not have a forecast or a target, moving when parts move and sleeping when they do not.
That physical flow of packaging and parts reveals where manufacturing stress shows up first, according to the Supply Chain Velocity Index from Sensolus. About one in three tracked industrial assets across aerospace, automotive, and equipment manufacturing sat completely still during a typical month over the past year.
“Orders tell you what the market wants. Output tells you what was built. What happens in between, the physical flow of parts and packaging, is where stress shows up first,” said Kristoff Van Rattinghe, CEO of Sensolus.
Regional Movement Differences
Tracked assets across both U.S. and European regions moved an average of 10.6 hours a month, showing a slight uptick from 10.4 hours a year earlier. Overall velocity dropped to 64.8% from 69.7%, leaving more industrial packaging sitting idle.
Performance diverged sharply between continents. U.S. velocity held steady at 69.4%, with monthly asset movement rising from 10.1 hours to 12.8 hours.
European asset velocity fell from 69.8% to 64.6%. Movement across European industrial sites dropped to 7.5 hours a month in July, echoing a summer slowdown that also appeared in August 2025.
Manufacturing Asset Tracking
“A returnable rack does not have a forecast or a target,” Van Rattinghe said. “It moves when parts move, and it sleeps when they do not. That makes it the cleanest signal a manufacturing chain has.”
European Asset Velocity Drops While U.S. Movement Rises
What caused the drop in European asset velocity?
European asset velocity fell due to a seasonal summer slowdown, with monthly movement dropping to 7.5 hours. Similar slow periods occurred during August 2025.
How much did U.S. asset movement increase?
U.S. asset movement rose to 12.8 hours a month, up from 10.1 hours previously, while velocity held firm at 69.4%.
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