30 June 2017

2017- n° 175

In April 2017, the turnover in the manufacturing industry fell back (–4.0%) Turnover in industry and construction - April 2017

In April 2017, the turnover fell back markedly in the manufacturing industry (−4.0%) after the sharp increase in the last month (+3.4%). The increase was stronger in export sales (−6.7% after +5.7%).

In industry as a whole, the turnover shrank sharply as well (−3.2% after +2.5%).

Over the last three months, the turnover rose in the manufacturing industry (+1.3%) as well as in the industry as a whole (+1.8%). In the manufacturing industry the turnover rose in “other manufacturing” (+1.3%), in manufacture of food products and beverages (+1.2%), in manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products (+4.7%), in manufacture of transport equipment (+1.2%) and, more slightly, in machinery and equipment goods (+0.2%).

The turnover rose sharply from the same three months of the previous year in the manufacturing industry (+6.4%). The growth was still more marked in industry as a whole (+8.0%) as a result of the strong increase in mining and quarrying; energy; water supply; waste management (+15.8%). Over this period, the turnover rose in every main sector of the manufacturing industry: the manufacture of transport equipment (+12.5%), “other manufacturing” (+4.2%), the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products (+27.6%), the manufacture of food products and beverages (+4.0%) and the machinery and equipment industry (+3.3%).

In April, the turnover in the manufacture of transport equipment shrank strongly (−12.7%) after a sharp rise in March (+12.1%). This strong decrease is mainly due to the fall in manufacture of other transport equipment (−19.0% after +20.2%). The turnover in the manufacture of motor vehicles fell back again but to a lesser extent (−4.1% after +2.7%). The downturn was also strongly marked in export sales (−19.1% after +16.9%).

The turnover in “other manufacturing” dwindled in April (−3.1% after +2.7%). It fell back in particular in the manufacture of basic metals and fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipement (−5.3% after +4.3%), the manufacture of chemicals and chemicals products (−3.6% after +4.2%), the manufacture of rubber and plastics products, and other non-metallic mineral products (−3.7% after +2.5%) and the “other manufacturing” (−2.0% after +2.6%). In contrast it recovered in manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations (+0.8% after −3.3%). The export sales fell back in “other manufacturing” as a whole (−2.3% after +2.2%).

The turnover in machinery and equipment fell back in April (−2.1% after +2.4%). It shrank mainly in the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products (−4.2% after +2.4%) but also in the manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. (−1.0% after +2.7%) and the manufacture of electrical equipment (−1.3% after +2.0%). Conversely, export sales was virtually stable (+0.1%).

In April, the turnover in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products fell again (−0.6% after −2.7% in March).

The turnover remained virtually stable in the manufacture of food products and beverages (−0.1% after +0.1%) but export sales rose again (+0.6% after +2.1%).

Compared to the previous estimation, the variation of March has been raised to +3.4% instead of +3.1% in the manufacturing industry, and to +2.5% instead of +2.2% in industry as a whole.