The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology by Springer is a well-reputed journal in manufacturing domain.

Typically, for Indian corresponding authors, Prof. M. S. Shunmugam (Editor for India) reviews the manuscript first. According to the journal's metrics, the median time for the first decision on a manuscript is 9 days. However, it has been over 20 days since I submitted my manuscript, and the status remains 'Editor Assignment Pending'. I am not sure what this status indicates. Can I assume that the manuscript is still with the administrative staff?

Please let me know if anyone has encountered this situation.