Industrial production volume increases 5.5% in September

In the first nine months of 2013, output reached the level of the same period of the previous year. The volume of industrial production in September was up 1.8% month-on-month.

Industrial export sales rose by 3.4% year-on-year in September and by a considerable 11.8% y.o.y. Of the two manufacturing subsections accounting for nearly half of export sales, the export of transport equipment, representing over 30% of manufacturing exports, increased by 27.9% in September. The manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products – representing over 15% of such exports – fell by 3.2% in export volume.

Industrial domestic sales declined by 2.7% in January-September, but rose by 5.0% in September y.o.y. Year-on-year, domestic sales of manufacturing increased by 3.9% in September.

Of the sections of industry, the production of manufacturing grew by 6.3% y.o.y. in September. The output of energy industry (electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply) was 4.9% lower y.o.y.

In September 2013, increases were observed in eight of the 13 subsections of manufacturing, while volume decreases of 0.9% to 5.3% were measured in other subsections. Of subsections with a significant weight, the production of transport equipment (representing more than 25% of manufacturing) grew by an outstanding 27.6%; KSH noted that the value of orders reflects “remarkable performance” by the subsector.

The manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products (ranked second in manufacturing) declined by 5.3%. Within the subsection, the largest class, i.e. the manufacture of communication equipment, increased for the first time since June 2011.

The third-largest subsection, the manufacture of food products, beverages and tobacco products (accounting for around 12% of manufacturing) remained nearly level with just a 0.2% increase.

A decrease proved lasting in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medical/chemical and botanical products, with output dropping 4.5% y.o.y. in September.

In September 2013, total new orders in the observed branches of manufacturing grew by 31.0% y.o.y. The volume of new export orders rose by 30.6%, while that of new domestic orders increased 34.3%.

For the nine-month period, labour productivity of industrial enterprises with five or more employees declined by 0.2% y.o.y. along with a 0.3% increase in the number of employees.