Mfg output up in December

MANILA, Philippines - Manufacturing output continued to rise in December amid expansion in nine sectors, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.

The PSA’s Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries released yesterday showed the Volume of Production Index (VoPI) grew 26.5 percent in December, up from the revised 25.4 percent in November.

“This may be attributed to the constant expansion in production output registered by chemical products (230.6 percent) and furniture and fixtures (186 percent),” the PSA said.

Double-digit growths in VoPI were also recorded by seven other major industries, namely: machinery except electrical (60.1 percent), leather products (49.4 percent), tobacco products (44.3 percent), transport equipment (40 percent), rubber and plastic products (25 percent), fabricated metal products (20.7 percent), electrical machinery (15.5 percent).

The Value of Production Index (VaPI) likewise expanded at a faster rate of 21.4 percent in December compared to the revised 19.4 percent in November.

The result was mainly influenced by the performance of chemical products, which reported a consistent three-digit growth of 218.6 percent.

The other major industries that contributed to the significant performance of VaPI were furniture and fixtures (84.9 percent), leather products (51.2 percent), machinery except electrical (43.5 percent), tobacco products (33.9 percent), transport equipment (29.9 percent), electrical machinery (19.4 percent), fabricated metal products (16.5 percent), rubber and plastic products (15.4 percent), publishing and printing (12.8 percent), beverages (10.5 percent), and wood and wood products (10 percent).

The Value of Net Sales Index (VaNSI) grew 33.5 percent in December, faster than the revised 31.7 percent in the previous month.

Fourteen major industries accounted for the growth in VaNSI led by chemical products and furniture and fixtures that posted the largest increase of 263.7 percent and 131.6 percent, respectively.

Other major industries that exhibited two-digit increases were the following: leather products (39.5 percent), fabricated metal products (32.4 percent), machinery except electrical (25.9 percent), textiles (22.3 percent), publishing and printing (22 percent), petroleum products (17.4 percent), tobacco products (15.9 percent), rubber and plastic products (13.3 percent), transport equipment (12.8 percent), and wood and wood products (11 percent).

The Volume of Net Sales Index (VoNSI) likewise increased to 39 percent in December from the revised 38.4 percent in the previous month.

This was brought about by the three-digit growth recorded by chemical products and furniture and fixtures with an annual increase of 277.3 percent and 258.2 percent, respectively.

Eight major industries with double-digit increases also pulled-up the VoNSI such as machinery except electrical (40.5 percent), leather products (37.8 percent), fabricated metals (37.2 percent), tobacco products (25 percent), rubber and plastic products (22.8 percent), transport equipment (21.7 percent), textiles (20.2 percent), and publishing and printing (11.9 percent).

The average capacity utilization for total manufacturing in December was at 83.4 percent.

More than 50 percent of the major sectors registered capacity utilization rates of 80 percent and above.

These sectors were petroleum products; basic metals; non-metallic mineral products; food manufacturing; machinery except electrical; electrical machinery; chemical products; rubber and plastic products; paper and paper products; publishing and printing; and wood and wood products.

The PSA noted that the proportion of establishments that operated at full capacity, or between 90 and 100 percent was 22.9 percent in December.

About 54.5 percent of the establishments operated at 70-to 89- percent capacity, while 22.6 percent of the establishments operated below 70-percent capacity.