Still, the latest reading suggested the health of the sector strengthened at one of the fastest rates on record. Production growth was constrained by capacity shortages and severe delays in raw material deliveries, while new orders rose at a faster pace with new export orders increasing by the most since October 2017.
In addition, the rate of accumulation in outstanding business was the steepest since data collection for the series began in January 2003 and the rate of job creation was strong overall. On the price front, input cost inflation was among the quickest on record and the rate of charge inflation matched July's record-breaking pace.
The degree of confidence regarding the outlook for output over the coming year reached the highest since June 2018.



