Rise in factory output

Manufacturing output managed to rise, according to one set of new figures from the Office for National Statistics.

In the three- month period ending May, output was up by 0.3% on the previous three-months.

Subsectors which showed rises in output included wood and paper products and printing (+4.5%) coke and refined petroleum products (+3.7%), and basic pharmaceuticals (+6.3%).

However, the rises were offset by falls among other subsectors such as food products, beverages and tobacco (-1.9%), machinery and equipment not classified elsewhere (-3.3%) and textiles and clothing (-2.3%)

The year-on-year figures were less rosy with a 1.9% fall in output in the latest three months compared with the same period a year ago.

The production industries (manufacturing, utilities and mining) posted a 0.2% rise in the three months to May on the previous three-month period, but output 1.9% fall on the same period a year ago.

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_317141.pdf