28 June 2019

2019- n° 172

In April 2019, the turnover in the manufacturing industry bounced back (+0.4%) Turnover in industry and construction - April 2019

In April 2019, the turnover bounced back in the manufacturing industry (+0.4%) after a decrease in March (−1.3%). It also recovered in industry as a whole (+0.4% after −1.3%).

Export turnover stabilized in April after a decrease in March (−0.8%)

The turnover went up over the last three months (February to April) in the manufacturing industry (+2.0%) as well as in industry as a whole (+1.7%), compared to the previous three months. Within manufacturing, the turnover increased sharply in the manufacture of transport equipment (+8.6%), in the manufacture of machinery and equipment goods (+2.4%) and in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products (+2.6%). It increased very slightly in the manufacture of food products and beverages (+0.3%) and it was near stable in “other manufacturing” (+0.1%).

The turnover over the last three months grew strongly by 4.9% compared to the same three months of the previous year in the manufacturing industry. It also increased in industry as a whole (+5.0%). It rose in most subsections of the manufacturing industry − the manufacture of transport equipment (+11.2%), “other manufacturing” (+3.2%), the machinery and equipment goods (+6.0%), the manufacture of food products and beverages (+2.5%) and the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products (+6.8%). It also increased in the manufacture of mining and quarrying and energy and water supply and waste management (+5.3%).

The turnover in the manufacture of food products and beverages recovered in April 2019 (+4.9% after −2.0%). Export sales also increased (+2.6% after −1.2%).

The turnover in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products picked up in April 2019 (+1.1% after −4.8%).

In April 2019, the turnover in machinery and equipment dwindled (−0.8% after +2.4% in March). It turned down strongly in the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products (−1.7% after +6.4%) and fell in the manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. (−0.8% after +0.9%) but it increased again in the manufacture of electrical equipment (+0.6% after +0.2%).

Export sales rose again in machinery and equipment goods (+0.4% after +1.8%).

The turnover in “other manufacturing” dwindled in April 2019 (−0.6% after +1.0%). It decreased in rubber and plastics products and other non−metallic mineral products (−1.5% after −0.2%), in the manufacture of basic metals and fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment (−0.8% after +2.8%), in the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products (−0.6% after +0.2%), in the manufacture of wood and paper products; printing and reproduction of recorded media (−0.7% after −0.1%) and in the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations (−0.7% after +2.2%). By contrast, it grew slightly in other manufacturing, repair and installation of machinery equipment (+0.2% after +1.1%), and strongly in the manufacture of textiles, wearing apparel, leather and related products (+1.5% after +0.1%).

Export sales in “other manufacturing” fell back sharply in April (−2.1% after +2.0%).

The turnover in the manufacture of transport equipment fell again in April 2019 (−1.6% after −6.6%). It folded strongly in the manufacture of motor vehicles (−2.2% after +1.0%) and decreased again in the manufacture of other transport equipment (−1.1% after −12.1%).

By contrast, export sales of transport equipment bounced back (+1.8% after −6.5%).

The variation of the turnover index in March 2019 has been reestimated at −1.3% instead of −1.5% in the manufacturing industry. It was unchanged in industry as a whole.